Baltimore demo paves way for new downtown green space

Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is planning to demolish the long-vacant Bard Building in downtown Baltimore, reports The Baltimore Banner. The property will be used to create a green space while the school determines a permanent use for the property.

A contract for the demolition of the five-story, 172,600-square-foot building, which previously housed a library, classrooms and staff offices, was on the agenda at the state Board of Public Works meeting on Aug. 2.

Because of its proximity to the Holocaust Memorial and the Power Plant Live! Complex, the reconstruction will regrade the site with trees for shade bordering three sides of the plot, according to the meeting agenda.

The $4.2 million contract was awarded to Baltimore’s The Berg Corp. through a sealed bid, as reported by The Baltimore Banner.

Power Plant Live!’s lead developer, David Cordish of Cordish Cos., attempted to add the Bard Building to the company’s portfolio with plans to convert it to retail and residential units in 2017.

However, the four-year-long project was rejected in April 2021 by BCCC President Debra McCurd, who said it was not in the best interest of the college. Cordish also tried to purchase the Bard Building in 2010 before the deal fell through two years later over costs, the Baltimore Business Journal reported in 2012.