Groundbreaking for Station North arts incubator reinforces Governor Hogan’s commitment to Baltimore’s revitalization
From left, MICA President Samuel Hoi, DHCD Deputy Secretary Ellington Churchill Jr., Delegate Maggie McIntosh, DBED Secretary Mike Gill, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, Rep. Elijah Cummings, and Laurens “Mac” Maclure of BARCO.
BALTIMORE – As part of Governor Larry Hogan’s pledge to invest in Baltimore’s livability and economic success, Deputy Secretary Ellington Churchill on Tuesday joined Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford to celebrate the groundbreaking of Open Works, an $11 million project Baltimore Arts Realty Corp. (BARCO) is developing in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District.
Also attending were Rep. Elijah Cummings, Delegate Maggie McIntosh and Mike Gill, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED).
Open Works, at 1400 Greenmount Avenue, will house an arts incubator for artists, designers and manufacturers of all varieties. The 34,000-square-foot facility will offer a complete wood shop, metal shop, digital media studio and fabrication shop, 3D imaging and printing studio, a microelectronics lab, and a digital embroidery and fibers studio.
“Open Works is an important part of the renaissance happening in Baltimore and the restoration of manufacturing jobs that were thought to be lost forever,” Churchill said. “DHCD is proud to be a part of projects like this that truly improve lives and communities by bringing jobs, new manufacturing, and more opportunities to the people of Baltimore.”
Artists also can rent out individual micro-studios for designing, assembling, and finishing their projects and products on a monthly basis. In addition, Open Works will host instructional workshops and classes on entrepreneurship, accounting, project financing and product marketing.
DHCD helped fund the project by providing $100,000 in financing through the Baltimore Regional Neighborhoods Initiative (BRNI).
Grants for Open Works also came from the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, the Abell Foundation, and DBED for the facility’s renovation and redevelopment. The Goldseker Foundation has also invested in the project through a grant for BARCO’s operating expenses.
DHCD has helped other projects in the neighborhood, including:
- City Arts, which offers 24 studio units, 36 one-bedroom/one-bath units and nine two-bedroom/one-bath units, as well as a gallery, workshop studio space, fitness center and a lounge with a computer center and kitchen. DHCD supported the project with $1.4 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits and more than $2.6 million in Tax Credit Assistance Program loan funds.
- Lillian Jones Apartments in Johnson Square, which received more than $1.6 million in Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The project has 74 affordable rental housing units.
- Motor House, a $5.6 million project that received $250,000 in DHCD funds. What was once a vacant car dealership became a cafe, bar, artist studios and a cultural arts incubator.
- Centre Theatre, a $2.6 million project that received $500,000 from DHCD, which transformed an abandoned building into a thriving hub of offices for nonprofits.
DHCD’s Division of Neighborhood Revitalization is committed to empowering Maryland communities through its 12 programs for loans, grants, technical assistance and tax credits.