Maryland officials approve plan to demo longstanding correctional complex

Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved a $2.4 million contract Jan. 3 to begin demolishing much of the Baltimore City Correctional Complex, the Baltimore Business Journal reports.

The three-year demolition, which would begin later this year, would involve the destruction of 39 structures on the complex site.

The joint venture of the architectural firms ATI, Columbia, Maryland, and Penza Bailey Architects, Baltimore, were chosen for the contract, according to reports. Under the plan, the work includes planning the demolition of 16 major structures and 23 minor structures, the removal of underground utilities and restructuring security enclosures on-site.

The Baltimore City Detention Center opened in 1859, but was closed in 2015. In 2017, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan proposed spending $480 million to replace the detention center with a six-story complex complete with drug treatment and educational programs, but the plan was rebuffed by city officials. There are currently no plans for redevelopment on the 27-acre plot.