The ‘John Waters: Pope of Trash’ exhibit may have ended in Los Angeles, but part of it lives on in the form of a new line of fashion, gifts and other merchandise similar to what visitors could purchase at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Waters is also dropping a new single with a canine-theme, displaying his visual art in San Francisco, and releasing the details of his coast-to-coast Christmas tour that starts Dec. 1.

The fashion line is a collaboration of Waters, visual artist and musician Seth Bogart and online retail store wackywacko.com. It features a mélange of “filthy’ references to Waters’ highbrow/underground aesthetic and Bogart’s distinctive etchings, including long- and short-sleeve tee shirts; crewnecks, hats, buttons, enamel pins, backpacks, tote bags, bathmats, hand towels and, of course, the popular ‘He’ll Make You Sick!’ barf bags.

Bogart and Waters first met eight years ago at Mosswood Meltdown, a punk music festival that Waters hosts every year and where Bogart performs with his band, Hunx & His Punks. Waters is known for films such as Pink Flamingos, Hairspray and Serial Mom. Bogart has shown his artwork at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery; MoCA; the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, among others. They joined forces in 2023 to create a collection of merchandise for sale in the pop-up gift shop at the Academy Museum, and many of the items repeatedly sold out during the 11-month run of the ‘Pope of Trash’ exhibit, which closed in August.

“I don’t know whether to call the line “norm-core for nutcases” or “hate-couture,” but Seth has captured my smutty sartorial splendor and given a whole new meaning to the term ‘rag trade,’ ” Waters said in announcing the collaboration.  

Wacky Wacko is Bogart’s art and fashion store, which features an array of products in a camp-meets-punk style. The new John Waters line goes on sale Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time at www.wackywacko.com. The collaborators say that a “select line” of retail partners will be announced soon.

The Singing Dogs

On Nov. 8, Waters and Sub Pop will release a Christmas single entitled ‘Jingle Bells/It’s a Punk Rock Christmas.’

The A-side features a ‘howling’ parody version of The Singing Dogs’ iconic “Jingle Bells” single, with Waters covering the song. The B-side, ‘It’s a Punk Rock Christmas,’ is a raunchy, spoken-word yarn about the lack of the punk rock spirit during the Christmas holidays.

The single was produced by Grammy-winner Ian Brennan, who produced Waters’ three previous singles. “In producing John’s annual Christmas tour for over 20 years, it seemed almost negligent that he didn’t have a Christmas record,” Brennan said.  “Everyone from U2 to Justin Bieber to William Shatner to Bob Dylan does, and John’s wit couldn’t be a more fitting cheer for the annual holiday music canon.”

The cost is $9, and Sub Pop is taking pre-orders at Sub Pop Mega Mart. Arf! Arf! Arf!

‘Worst of Waters’

“John Waters: The Worst of Waters,” is an exhibit of Waters’ visual art work that opened in September at the Rena Bransten Gallery, 1275 Minnesota St. in San Francisco, and runs through Nov. 16. The subtitle is: “Works never before exhibited in San Francisco: the rudest, the hardest to sell, the just plain wrong.” Waters had a show with a similar theme at C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore in 2022.

Tour dates

Tour dates for Waters’ Christmas shows are: Dec. 1: The Rio Theatre in Santa  Cruz, Ca.; the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Ca.; Dec. 3 and 4 at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, Wash.; Dec. 5 and 6 at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, Ore.; Dec. 7 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, Ca.; and Dec. 8 and 9 at Lou Lou’s Jungle Room in San Diego, Ca.

Also, Dec. 13 and 14 at Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati, Oh.; Dec. 15 at the City Winery in New York; Dec. 17 at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, Pa.; Dec. 18 at Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Va. and Dec. 19 at Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, Md.

Waters also has a pre-holiday performance of his “Naked Truth” show on Nov. 2 at The Parkway in Minneapolis.

One year after Johns Hopkins University dedicated its $647.5 million Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C., leaders are unveiling part of the building that hasn’t been open before, the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery.

Named for two longtime art patrons and Hopkins benefactors, the gallery is a 1000-square-foot space that will present rotating exhibitions in line with the center’s mission to foster dialogue around the arts and democracy.

The inaugural exhibition, which opens along with the gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 23, is entitled “Art and Graphic Design of the European Avant-Gardes.” It brings together 75 rare works of art, books and ephemera spanning the Eastern European avant-garde movements from 1910 to 1941, including Futurism, Dadaism, Suprematism, Constructivism and Surrealism.

In tandem with the gallery opening, Hopkins announced that it is launching an arts-oriented lecture series in D.C. in 2025 and that it recently added two works of art to a contemporary art gallery on its East Baltimore medical campus.

Dedicated on Oct. 19, 2023, the Hopkins Bloomberg Center is a multidisciplinary academic facility that was created using the shell of the former Newseum building at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. N. W. Hopkins built it to bring under one roof its Washington-based programs that were previously located in several buildings, to extend its visibility and reach in the nation’s capital, and to maximize the impact of its research and scholarship.

Designed by Rockwell Group, the gallery will present exhibitions drawn from the university’s collections, and special exhibitions born out of partnerships with leading museums and collections. Design of the gallery and inaugural exhibition was overseen by Dan Kershaw, senior exhibition designer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first gallery director is Caitlin Berry, formerly the inaugural director of the Rubell Museum D. C.

Hopkins scheduled a day of festivities and a press preview on Tuesday for the inaugural exhibit, which is free and open to the public. Starting Oct. 23, gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on university holidays. The inaugural exhibit will remain on view until Feb. 21, 2025.

The preview included a panel discussion with D.C. based-arts leaders on “Why Art is Essential to Democracy,” followed by a reception. Preceding the panel discussion was a “Music for Freedom” concert featuring Peabody Institute students performing works by Dmitri Shostakovich and Ludwig van Beethoven.  

The exhibition includes works by El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich, Liubov Popova, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Lajos Kassak, Karel Teige and Victo Brauner. Several of the works have not previously been on public display in North America. The exhibition draws parallels between abstract works across geographic boundaries and linguistic differences, revealing ways in which avant-garde artists engaged in an international exchange of ideas to bring about new visual vocabularies in a modern, post-war age.

“We are deeply grateful to Irene and Richard Frary for their support of the Hopkins Bloomberg Center and their significant contribution to our mission to connect the worlds of research, and the arts,” said Cybele Bjorklund, the center’s executive director, in a statement. “Through its opening exhibition, programming, and future presentations, the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery will bring a fresh infusion of artistic expression and cultural dialogue to Pennsylvania Avenue. We invite our neighbors throughout the Washington community to discover the diverse array of free public events and concerts at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center.”

The exhibition draws from the Frarys’ rarely-seen private collection of art and literature and includes many recent gifts from the collection to the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries. Highlights include photography and photomontages from avant-garde artists impacted by preceding art movements, as well as works from lesser-known avant-garde publishing cultures in Armenia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia, including a large group of rare avant-garde and modernist books in Yiddish and Hebrew.

“The juxtaposition of art from across the continent allows viewers to uncover commonalities between each of the five ‘isms,’ painting a more complex picture of artistic movements previously defined by nationality and enabling a better understanding of a time marked by major political, social, and cultural transformations,” said exhibition curator Philipp Penka, in a statement. “The Frarys’ remarkable collection offers a glimpse at one of the defining periods in European modernism. It makes visible a complex international network spanning from Paris and Berlin to the Baltics, the Caucasus, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and modern-day Ukraine, and reveals the avant-garde’s shared concern with uncovering the contradictions of an obsolete societal order, and to give shape to a more just and truthful society.”

The works on display include:

• Liubov Popova’s 6 graviur L. Popovoi (1917), a suite of multi-color linocut prints;
• One of only five copies of UNOVIS (1920), an anthology published by artists in Vitebsk, Belarus, that includes several works on paper by El Lissitzky and Kazimir Malevich;
• Hungarian artist Lajos Kassák’s Bildarchitektur [Picture Architecture] (1925), a 1927 india ink drawing (Composition), and a very early woodcut (1921);
• One of three known copies of Aleksandr Rodchenko’s “Composition 73,” a color lithograph printed by the Weimar Bauhaus workshops for Adolf Behne, Der Sieg der Farbe (Berlin, 1924);
• An untitled Suprematist artist book by Ivan Puni (1920);
• Dutch artist Lou Loeber’s cardboard box object with multi-color geometrical gouache design in the manner of De Stijl (1920s);
• Three original photo collages by Crimean-born graphic artist, designer, and actor Petr Galadzhev.

Irene Frary is a member of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s advisory board. Richard Frary, a member of Hopkins’ Class of 1969, has provided leadership at the university through advisory board service, and as vice chair emeritus of its Board of Trustees and chair emeritus of the Sheridan Libraries National Advisory Council.

The Frarys are avid art and book collectors with more than 3,000 objects across diverse artistic movements, and they have shared their collections with the Hopkins community. They further support Johns Hopkins through scholarship and endowment support.  

“This inaugural exhibition of major works from the Frary Collections provides an unprecedented opportunity to explore a major artistic period in a new and innovative way,” said Daniel H. Weiss, Homewood Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University and president emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “Through its thoughtful and ambitious program, the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery attests to the vitality and importance of the arts at the Bloomberg Center and at Johns Hopkins.”

“Irene and I are delighted to be a part of the first of many thought-provoking presentations at the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery that will inspire new conversations, ideas, and research through art,” said Richard Frary, a Class of 1969 Hopkins alumnus, donor and volunteer leader for more than 40 years “It is our hope that this exhibition, which cumulates a diversity of artistic and ideological perspectives, will advance the Hopkins Bloomberg Center’s mission to foster discovery, democracy, and global dialogue.”

Sam Gilliam Lecture Series

Hopkins officials this week announced that the university is launching The Sam Gilliam Lecture Series, which will be hosted starting in March 2025 at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.

The series is being created with the Sam Gilliam Foundation to honor the artistic legacy and social justice commitments of the late Washington D.C.-based painter, sculptor and educator Sam Gilliam, who died in 2022 at age 88. Made possible by the foundation’s support, the series will welcome prominent artists and speakers to the Bloomberg Center to reflect on the intersections between contemporary art, academia, and public policy, and the role art plays in advancing society. Speakers will be announced at a later date. According to Hopkins’ announcement in The Hub, The Sam Gilliam Lecture Series will focus on topics in keeping with the themes and issues addressed in the artist’s life and work, including racial equity, democracy, and the transformative power of art. Consistent with the Bloomberg Center’s mission of connecting knowledge and research with policymaking, the series will provide a platform for contemporary artists and policymakers to engage in meaningful conversations about the role of art in addressing critical social issues.

“We are grateful to Annie Gawlak and the Sam Gilliam Foundation for their support and partnership on this series, which fits perfectly with the Hopkins Bloomberg Center’s mission,” said Bjorklund, the center’s executive director. “The series will create synergies between policy development and the arts, supporting important multidisciplinary conversations on key topics that will complement the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery, permanent art installations, and myriad arts programs hosted at the center.”

Tupelo, Mississippi, Gilliam was a pioneering Black artist renowned not only for his innovations in post-war American art, but also his commitment to issues of social justice, racial equity, and democratizing access to art. Having moved to Washington, D.C. in 1962 and living there throughout his prolific artmaking career, Gilliam had a long-standing and deep relationship with the city throughout the Civil Rights movement and other periods of extreme change in the nation.

The Bloomberg Center is home to a permanent, large-scale acrylic and mixed media installation by Gilliam, entitled A Lovely Blue And ! (2022). Measuring eight feet by 20 feet, it’s one of the final works created by the artist in the months before his death.

“Our partnership with Johns Hopkins University on this ongoing public program at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center highlights the role that contemporary art can play in advancing social and racial equity and supporting democracy,” said Gawlak, president of the Sam Gilliam Foundation, in a statement. “Throughout his life, Sam’s work lay at the intersection of art and advocacy, and he believed ardently in the ability of art to inspire and influence critical change. It is an honor to launch The Sam Gilliam Lecture Series in continuation of the activism Sam enacted throughout his career as an artist and educator.”

Works by Latoya Hobbs, Ernest Shaw Jr., and SHAN Wallace

In East Baltimore, Hopkins this month unveiled new paintings to its contemporary art collection in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s North Gallery: “Sistership,’ by Latoya Hobbs, and ‘Crossing Godz 5’ by Ernest Shaw Jr. Both artists are Baltimore-based.

Hobbs’ painting uses vivid hues of green, gold, and brown to depict two Black women sharing an embrace while turned away from the viewer. In his painting, Shaw depicts two young squeegee workers who also have their arms around each other and their faces obscured. “Though they look out directly from the canvas, outlines of West African masks hide their features and elevate them to royalty,” notes author Aleyna Renta in a Hub article about the works. “To complete the image of nobility, the two boys hold their squeegees like scepters.

“Let me just say how thrilled I am to have these pieces here,” Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean Ellen MacKenzie said at the unveiling ceremony. “The art on our walls is an expression of the values we cherish. They show us the joy of human connection and reflect the power of Baltimore’s artistic voices. They are a lasting testament to the connection between our school and our city, and a very strong reminder that we want that connection to continue to deepen and to grow.”

The paintings were installed as part of the university’s new public arts initiative, which aims to uplift promising Baltimore artists and reflect the broader community by housing their works on Hopkins’ campuses. The effort, which involved an initial investment of $500,000 over two years and includes plans for future acquisitions, is an outgrowth of the university’s Diverse Names and Narratives Project. Hopkins’ Art Collecting Committee, made up of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustee representatives, selected the works from an artist portfolio curated by BmoreArt consultants Cara Ober and Inés Sanchez de Lozada.

Hopkins’ public arts initiative began with the installation of two black and white photographs by East Baltimore native SHAN Wallace. More artists are slated to have works displayed at the university, including painter Linling Lu, sculptor Sebastian Martorana, and photographer Elena Volkova.

Registration is now open for the Baltimore Together Summit, a daylong gathering of community, government and business leaders working to build a more inclusive and prosperous economic future for the city.

This will be the third year for the event, which is set to take place on Nov. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. The Baltimore Development Corp. is the organizer and admission is free and open to the public, but registrations are required.

Launched as part of Baltimore’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Baltimore Together seeks to address racial inequities and expand economic opportunities across the city. The Baltimore Together 2024 Progress Report and updated Implementation Matrix, to be released at the summit, will highlight strategies for fostering inclusive economic growth and ensuring opportunities for all. The summit will also celebrate key milestones from the past year, including the launch of the Baltimore Economy Dashboard; the release of the Downtown RISE plan, and the city’s response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse while looking ahead to new initiatives that promote growth and resilience.

“Baltimore Together is a collective vision that belongs to every resident, business, and organization in our city,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott, in a statement. “This plan serves as our north star as we continue to create a more inclusive and vibrant economy. It’s about bringing everyone to the table, breaking down barriers, and ensuring that economic growth benefits all Baltimoreans, not just a select few. Together, we are building a future where opportunity is within reach for everyone in our city.”

The day will feature discussions on key topics such as strategies to address vacant housing; West Baltimore redevelopment; ways businesses can drive positive change through civic engagement, and an in-depth look at the life sciences sector as a driver of growth in Baltimore.

In addition to Scott, speakers will include U. S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen; Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson; Tom Barkin, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; Ron Daniels, president of the Johns Hopkins University; Carim Khouzami, president and CEO of BGE; Elizabeth Clayborne, CEO and co-founder of NasaClip; Jesse Christopher, CEO of Longeviti Neuro Solutions; Alice Kennedy, Commissioner of Baltimore’s Department of Housing and Community Development; and Chad Williams, executive director of the West North Avenue Redevelopment Authority. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has been invited.

The event will end with a reception and the launch of the Made in Baltimore Lookbook, celebrating local talent and creativity.

In addition to the events on Nov. 12, 10 workshops will be held across the city throughout the week. They will focus on topics crucial to Baltimore’s economic development and growth, including youth entrepreneurship, Baltimore’s film and television industry, and supporting and empowering small local businesses.

Last year’s Summit attracted more than 700 registrants and more than 850 livestream participants, and the BDC is aiming to surpass those numbers this year. Sponsors include: Bloomberg Philanthropies; M&T Bank; CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; BGE, and the West North Avenue Development Authority (WNADA).

“This Summit is more than a meeting; it’s a movement,” said Colin Tarbert, President and CEO of the BDC, in a statement. “Baltimore Together reflects our commitment to overcoming economic disparities and building a thriving, resilient city. Our economy has been growing steadily for two decades, and despite challenges like the Key Bridge collapse, we are poised for even greater growth. This is our moment, and we welcome everyone to join us in shaping Baltimore’s future.”

Registration information is available at BaltimoreTogether.com or by contacting baltimoretogether@justeconomy.com.

Tickets are now on sale for Come from Away, a hit musical that is returning to Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre for a limited engagement on April 18 and 19, 2025.

Come from Away is a story about some of the 7,000 people who were stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, after all flights to the U. S. were grounded following the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The winner of one Tony Award and four Lawrence Olivier Awards, the musical follows plane passengers and locals as they learn about the attacks and find hope while forging lasting bonds. All of the characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travelers they housed and fed.

Come from Away was originally developed at the Canadian Music Theatre Project in 2012, was further developed at the Goodspeed Musicals’ festival in East Haddam, Connecticut, in 2013 and opened on Broadway in 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, where it became a critical and box office success.

The Broadway production closed in 2022 after 25 previews and 1,669 regular performances. The first North American touring production was launched in 2018 and stopped in more than 50 cities, including Baltimore, before ending in 2023. Next year’s Baltimore stop is part of a 50-venue 2024-2025 North American tour (www.comefromaway.com) that began this week in Regina, Canada.

Returning cast members include Kathleen Cameron; Addison Garner; Andrew Hendrick; Kristin Litzenberg; Erich Schroeder and Andre Williams. The 2024-2025 touring production also features John Anker Bow; Ryaan Farhadi; Richard Chaz Gomez; Jordan Hayakawa; Tyler Olshansky-Bailon; Hannah-Kathryn Wall; Nick Berke; K. Bernice; Jordan Diggory; Rayna L. Hickman; Sierra Naomi; and Justin Phillips. It’s directed by Daniel Goldstein with musical staging by Richard J. Hinds, based on the original Broadway direction and choreography.

Tickets for the Baltimore engagement are on sale at www.Ticketmaster.com or in-person at the Hippodrome Box Office, 12 N. Eutaw Street, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on show days from 11 a.m. to showtime. Groups of 10 or more should contact BaltimoreGroups@BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com or call 888-451-5986.

Representatives of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday for their next major campus building, a $120 million, six-story home for the School of Social Work at 600 W. Lexington Street.

The 127,000-square-foot building will consolidate the school’s Master of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy programs, which are currently spread across three locations. Planners say it will be the first net-zero emissions building within the University System of Maryland and the first in downtown Baltimore, with features such as geothermal wells, solar panels and a green roof.

The construction site is bounded by Saratoga Street on the north, Greene Street on the east, Lexington Street on the south and Pearl Street on the west. It’s currently an empty lot on the north end of the UMB campus on the west side of downtown, between Lexington Market and the old Metro West complex, part of which is being converted to a new home for the Maryland Department of Health. It’s within easy walking distance of the state’s subway and light rail line and several parking garages.

Ballinger of Philadelphia is the architect and Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. is the builder. Plans call for a mix of research, teaching and gathering spaces, including 10 classrooms; two media labs; six simulation rooms; 13 conference rooms; 16 small meeting rooms; 27 huddle rooms; a coffee lounge; bike racks; showers; a foot-washing station; a prayer and meditation room; a lactation space; and a large multi-purpose event space for education and community outreach.

More than 200 people attended the groundbreaking event, where speakers touted the building’s sustainability features and said it will be a center for academic, community and civic engagement. School of Social Work Dean Judy Postmus said it represents “the future of social work” and was designed “with social work values in mind.”

The new school “will be more than just a place to develop the next generation of social workers, leaders and scholars – it will be a vibrant community hub where students, faculty and local partners come together,” she said. “I am enthusiastic that these adaptable spaces embrace social work’s core values of social justice, the importance of human relationships and service to the community, by going above and beyond in areas of sustainability and accessibility.”

UMB president Bruce Jarrell said moving the school to Lexington Street will align with and bolster efforts by city and state planners to revitalize the west side of downtown.  He said the School of Social Work will lead a new wave of activity and construction over the next several years on the north end of campus, where the university is working with private developers to convert spaces to housing, stores and research space.

“This is a new beehive of activity that’s going to happen at UMB over the next couple of years and Social Work will be at the very center of it,” he said. “I hope in the next several years, concurrently with the development of this building, that you will see other activity there in terms of new development, developers and people on the street. That’s the idea about this north campus.”

Jarrell suggested that School of Social Work students and faculty will benefit by being close to the future home of Maryland’s health department, which is moving from State Center: “There might just be some useful interactions that take place there.”

He said he hopes that the school’s students and faculty will flourish in their new home.

“The fact that Social Work is the center of attention up here leads me to think I have great expectations of them,” he said. “I expect them to create new energy, new vibrancy, in this city that we love, Baltimore. I expect them to spread out their tentacles around this whole area and become an important element of change in Baltimore.”

With features such as a “high performance building envelope” and a usable roof garden, the building is expected to use 65 percent less energy than a traditional building of its size, and zero operational fossil fuels. Planners say they’re aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification and aspiring for LEED Platinum certification – the highest level awarded by the U. S. Green Building Council. In addition, they say, the project is tracking to earn LEED Net Zero Energy certification.

The new building “reflects UMB’s deep commitment to our core values of Well-Being and Sustainability,” Jarrell said. “From its green roof and geothermal walls to its net-zero energy design that will power learning and gathering spaces, this building exemplifies our mission to reduce UMB’s environmental impact while enhancing our campus and our connection to the surrounding community.”

The School of Social Work is one of six professional schools and an interdisciplinary School of Graduate Studies on the UMB campus. The School of Social Work has about 700 students and 80 full-time faculty members. Other programs include the Center for Restorative Change; Promise Heights Family Connections and The Institute for Innovation and Implementation.

According to Jarrell, more than 15,000 people are on the UMB campus on any given day, and another 9,000 people are in the University of Maryland Medical System’s buildings. After the ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday, construction of the School of Social Work is expected to begin in December and be substantially complete in the summer of 2027.

Nichole Baccala Ward is the new owner of TBC, the creative agency founded in 1974 by Ed Trahan, Tom Burden and Allan Charles.

The transition comes as the Baltimore-based advertising, branding and public relations company marks the 50^th anniversary of its founding as Trahan, Burden & Charles and the retirement of co-founder and creative director Allan Charles.

Ward, who serves as CEO, is the agency’s first sole owner. She has been with the company for more than 23 years and became its president in 2014. She has led marketing efforts for numerous brands over the years, including Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal; Haribo USA; and Pearson Education. She led the staff through the COVID-19 pandemic and stewarded TBC’s recent appointment as the American Diabetes Association’s first agency of record in its 80-year history.

“We’re taking advantage of our spirit of creativity, curiosity and resilience as we move forward,” Ward said in a statement. “We know that TBC’s future holds even greater promise built on a foundation of 50 years of excellence. Together, we’ll continue to deliver integrated solutions and inspire success for clients of all sizes.”

Along with the advertising agency they launched in 1974, Trahan, Burden and Charles opened an affiliated, in-house TV and broadcast production company called Charles Street Films, to strengthen the agency’s reputation for creativity and give it the ability to produce films and videos. Charles Street Films made TBC one of the first agencies in the U. S. to have an in-house studio to shoot its own commercials and videos.

Working with media firms such as Westinghouse Broadcasting Company and The Baltimore News-American, a division of The Hearst Corp., TBC gained national recognition for campaigns involving Leonard “Boogie” Weinglass’ Merry-Go-Round clothing chain and the Holocaust Memorial Fund, among others. It was the first agency to make a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal with MTV.

Since its early days, TBC has grown from a small creative shop to a full-service branding, advertising and strategic communications agency that still has in-house production capabilities. It’s now based at 3601 O’Donnell St. in Brewer’s Hill with a staff of 65, and its services include advertising; brand development and strategy; content strategy and copywriting; strategic communications; social media; public relations; media planning; buying and analytics and digital marketing.

TBC’s major clients over the years have included the Maryland Lottery; Miller Brewing Company; the National Aquarium; Harrah’s Casinos; the Baltimore Orioles; the Baltimore Ravens; McDonald’s; CVS Pharmacy; Visit Baltimore; Smart Balance; the NAACP; MinuteClinic; Micron; KT Tape; CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; University of Maryland Global Campus (www.umgc.edu); and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (wwwcp.umes.edu). It was one of the first agencies to work with the Ronald McDonald House.

Charles started his career in advertising and TV production when he was 15. Among numerous awards he has received are two Clios for copywriting. The father with former Baltimore Sun gossip columnist Laura Charles of film actor Josh Charles, he is credited with discovering and casting many celebrities at the beginning of their careers and working on a variety of MTV music videos. Among the individuals and companies he’s worked with are: Yellow Book; Campbell’s Soup; UPS; Snyder’s of Hanover; Pepsi; Foxwoods Resort Casino and William Donald Schaefer.

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Signs that the much-anticipated Duchess restaurant is getting closer to opening in Hampden:

The wood trim on the exterior of the former Cafe Hon building has been painted terra cotta red.

Paper that covered the storefront windows has been removed to let passersby see the status of construction inside.

Perhaps most telling of all: A sign in one window announces that managers will be accepting resumes and holding interviews on the premises with job applicants starting at noon on Wednesday.

“WORK WITH US!” the sign says. “Open Call Interviews for all positions. Oct. 16th at 12 p.m.– 4 p.m. Oct. 17th at 10 a.m. — 2 p.m. “

Located at 1000 W. 36th St., The Duchess is the latest venture of The Foreman Wolf Group, headed by Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf. It replaces Cafe Hon, which closed in April 2022.

The Open Call sign says the operators are looking for servers, bartenders, hosts, line/prep cooks, dishwashers and a sous chef, among others.

“Any candidate should bring a resume, if they have one, and come to the front door,” it says. “Come join our family!”

Baltimore’s liquor board approved a liquor license for the restaurant earlier this year, after members were told the venture represents an investment of close to $2 million.

A view through the front window shows the interior has been framed out, with a bar against one wall.

Foreman, who was at the site, said Wednesday is the first day The Duchess management has held Open Call interviews with job applicants. He said the restaurant will open “as soon as we finish construction and get through inspections.”

Basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. has pledged $1 million to Morgan State University to support its Earl G. Graves School of Business & Management.

Johnson’s gift was announced during Morgan State’s 40^th Annual Homecoming Gala at Martin’s West earlier this month. According to university president David Wilson, the money will be used to endow a professorship in Entrepreneurship at the business school.

A National Basketball Association Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson is now the CEO of SodexoMagic, a food and facilities management provider that works with major corporations and institutions, including K-12 schools and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs.) The company has provided dining services at Morgan State since 2020 and was also a sponsor of its homecoming gala.

Johnson, 65, was unable to attend the gala in person, but his gift was announced at the event by SodexoMagic Vice President of Business Development and Account Management Donna Ford.

“As a preeminent HBCU, your dedication to addressing equity gaps and your rise in research prominence sets an inspiring example for institutions nationwide,” Ford said. “And like Morgan State University, SodexoMagic is committed to being a driving force for equity and change.”

Johnson was appearing at an event in Michigan with Vice President Kamala Harris at the same time as Morgan State’s gala, but he addressed the gathering in a video.

“Congratulations on 40 years of raising scholarship funds for students to attend the National Treasure,” he said in the video. “Please continue this great work so that the next generation of leaders are equipped to lead worldwide.”

The Baltimore Development Corporation has terminated its agreement with Westside Partners LLC, the group that proposed to build a $150 million to $200 million mixed-use project called The Compass using 18 city-owned parcels on the west side of downtown.

“The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) and the City of Baltimore have decided to terminate the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) with Westside Partners LLC for the Compass Project on the Howard-Lexington block,” BDC President and CEO Colin Tarbert said in a statement issued on Monday. “Given the time elapsed since the project was awarded and the two extensions already granted, BDC believes that reissuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) is in the City’s best interest.”

Former Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young selected Westside Partners in December 2020 to purchase and redevelop the area once known as The Superblock, one of his last acts before leaving office. The area is bounded roughly by Fayette, Howard and Lexington streets and Park Avenue. The sale price was $4,500,001. The group’s latest plan called for 302 residences and 102 hotel rooms as well as street-level retail space and meeting venues.

The BDC had given Westside Partners until Sept. 30 to complete its purchase of the properties tentatively awarded by Young and move ahead with construction. The developer asked for a three-month extension. The request came two months after one of the buildings awarded by Young, a vacant four-story structure in the 200 block of West Fayette Street, partially collapsed onto the sidewalk and street and had to be taken down at the city’s expense. A second building also was removed and the land is now a vacant lot.

Tarbert said in his statement that a new Request for Proposals likely will be issued in early 2025 and Westside Partners would be able to respond at that time.

“This approach allows the current developer time to secure investors and financing partners, should they wish to resubmit a proposal,” he said. “Additionally, it enables BDC to gauge any new interest in the project, considering the significant progress on nearby developments such as the CFG Bank Arena and Lexington Market.”

Baltimore is about to get shucked – theater tickets, that is.

Individual tickets went on sale on Friday for Shucked, a Tony Award-winning musical comedy that’s coming to Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre April 1 to 6, 2025.

Part of the Hippodrome’s Broadway Series lineup for 2024-2025, Shucked tells the story of Cob County, an area grappling with a corn blight that threatens to end its citizens’ way of life. Along with a truckload of corny jokes and puns, the 2022 musical raises serious questions about everything from climate change to religion.

Music is by country songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McNally, and the book is from Broadway veteran Robert Horn, the writer behind Tootsie. Three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien is the director. The show’s Broadway run ended in January, and Baltimore is one of more than 30 cities on its national tour, which starts later this month in Providence, Rhode Island. A film adaptation is also in the works.

“What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville?” the Hippodrome asks in its announcement about the show. “A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn. Shucked is the new musical comedy that proves sometimes tearing down a few walls, rather than growing them, is the only way to preserve our way of life. Shucked is turning musical theater on its ear and is offering a kernel of hope for our divided nation.”

The cast includes Miki Abraham (Shucked on Broadway) as Lulu; Tyler Joseph Ellis (“The Sex Lives of College Girls”) as Storyteller 2; Maya Lagerstam (The Gospel According to Heather) as Storyteller 1; Mike Nappi (Darling Grenadine) as Peanut; Jake Odmark (Kinky Boots) as Beau; Quinn  VanAntwerp (Shucked on Broadway) as Gordy; and Danielle Wade (“Cady” in the Mean Girls National Tour) as Maizy.  

The cast also includes Zakiya Baptiste, Mackenzie Bell, Carly Caviglia, Cecily Dionne Davis, Ryan Fitzgerald, Sean Casey Flanagan, Jackson Goad, Erick Pinnick, Nick Raynor, Celeste Rose, Kyle Sherman and Chani Wereley.

Prices for individual tickets range from $49 to $164, with a select number of premium tickets for sale.

Tickets are available at BaltimoreHippodrome.com, Ticketmaster.com or in-person at the Hippodrome Box Office (12 N Eutaw Street) Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on show days from 11 a.m. until showtime. Groups of 10 or more can contact BaltimoreGroups@BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com or call 888-451-5986.

Christmas Village in Baltimore, the German-style holiday market that draws crowds to the west shore of the Inner Harbor, is returning next month.

“Christmas Village in Baltimore will be back at the Inner Harbor from Nov. 23 to Dec. 24, 2024!” organizers announced on Instagram and Facebook. “Who’s ready for the most magical time of the year in Baltimore?”

According to the event’s organizers, German American Marketing Inc., the market will feature more than 60 local and international vendors, including Kaethe Wohlfahrt, a well-known source of handcrafted ornaments and gifts.

Returning food favorites include Bratwurst and vegan Brat, Raclette cheese, schnitzel, latkes, bacon on a stick and crepes. There will be imported German Gluhwein (mulled wine) with new flavors and themed weekends with live performances, family-friendly activities and appearances by Gingy the Gingerbread Man.

Nov. 23 and 24 will be Preview Weekend, and the market will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays except for Dec. 23 and 24, and on Nov. 27. It will be open on Thanksgiving (Nov. 28) and Christmas Eve from noon to 5 p.m. Non-holiday hours will be from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from noon to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. All-day visitor parking will be available for $15 at the Harbor Court Garage, 30 E. Lee St.

In 2019, Baltimore’s Board of Estimates approved a license agreement that gave German American Marketing the right that year to use a portion of West Shore Park, the city-owned property between the Baltimore Visitor Center at 401 Light Street and the Maryland Science Center. The 2019 agreement gave the organizers an option to renew the license five times.

The market wasn’t held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned in 2021, 2022 and 2023. On August 21, the Board of Estimates approved the fourth renewal of the license, which starts Nov. 11 for set-up and ends Dec. 31. It requires German American Marketing to pay the city $41,500.00, including $14,000 for an electrical services fee, $15,000 for a security deposit and $12,500 for a license fee, and to complete “breakdown and clean-up after the Event” no later than Dec. 31. That’s when crowds will gather for the next big event at the harbor – Baltimore’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

More information about Christmas Village in Baltimore is available at baltimore-christmas.com and on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, @bmorechristmas.

Neighbors who are waiting for Eddie’s of Mount Vernon grocery store to reopen are going to have to wait a little longer.

Attorney Stephan Fogleman told Baltimore’s liquor board on Thursday that a new operator has encountered funding and construction delays and is behind schedule on reopening the store at 7 to 11 W. Eager St. – a much-anticipated event that was originally targeted for last summer.

He asked that the three-member panel approve a request from his client, Kabita D. Mahat of Gaurika LLC, to grant a 90-day “hardship extension” to transfer a “Class A” Beer, Wine and Liquor license that was approved on March 21, 2024.

The liquor board’s approval stipulated that the transfer take place within 180 days, which put the deadline at September 18. In seeking a transfer extension on behalf of his client, Fogelman blamed the state of Maryland for being slow in sending money that was granted last spring. He also said the operator has experienced construction delays and had to change contractors.

“They applied for a grant from the state, the state trying to encourage grocery stores in communities,” Fogleman said. “Apparently, I guess this was the first time getting a grant approved because the money takes longer than one might think if you were a first-timer. Nevertheless, they have had construction delays, a change of contractor, and then the delay in getting the approval and reimbursement from the state under this grant.”

Eddie’s has been closed since June 30, 2023, when previous store owner Dennis Zorn ceased operations after running it since 2000. The property, owned by 13 West Eager LLC, has housed a grocery store since 1939. The closing left Mount Vernon residents without a full-service food market in their community, and a search was launched for a new operator. Last February, The Baltimore Sun ran a front-page article by Amanda Yeager detailing plans by the new operator to renovate the 5,000-square-foot space and reopen it for continued use as a grocery store.

Eddie’s of Mount Vernon is one of the few grocery stores in Baltimore that has a “Class A” license that allows it to sell beer, wine and liquor for off-premises consumption, and the new operator applied to transfer that license to sell alcoholic beverages when the store reopens.

When the new operator was announced, community leaders said they were optimistic that the store might be ready by July 1 or shortly afterwards, but months have now gone by without an opening. Fogleman’s appearance at the liquor board shed light on some of the reasons for the delay.

In a Sept. 4 letter to the liquor board requesting a transfer extension, Fogleman did not discuss the funding or construction delays, saying only that “the applicant needs more time to finish inspections.”

At the hearing on Thursday, Fogleman gave no projection for when the store might reopen, and the commissioners didn’t ask. They nevertheless approved his request for the hardship extension, which gives Gaurika until Dec. 17 to finish renovations and complete the transfer.

Hampden will lose another dining spot this month when The Arthouse closes permanently after 11 years of operation.

Owners Randy Oto and Priya Rayadurg posted on Facebook and Instagram that the popular pizza bar and art gallery at 1115 W. 36^th St. has been unable to extend its lease and will have a “Going Out of Business” party on Oct. 26.

The Arthouse is known for pairing brick oven pizza with unexpected toppings, such as blueberry chili sauce and mozzarella and goat cheese, offering a Late Night Happy Hour on weekends, and hosting events such as Open Mic Comedy and Live Irish Music nights. All of the artwork on display is for sale.

“Long story short, our lease ended a while ago and we have been unable to come up with a long term win-win solution for both us and the landlord,” the owners wrote. “We are now required to vacate the building by the end of October. We like to thank all the great patrons, amazing staff members, talented artists, musicians and comedians that made The Arthouse a very special place. Stop by for some yummy pizza and drinks, reminisce and say goodbye.”

The owners say they will still be part of the neighborhood because they have two other businesses in Hampden, Cloud 9 Clothing at 1111 W. 36^th St. and Charm City Hemp at 1013 W. 36^th St.

Leaders of the Maryland Science Center on Wednesday announced plans for more than $10 million worth of capital projects and programs designed to improve the visitor experience and otherwise help celebrate its 50^th anniversary.

The improvements range from a new exhibit on space exploration and an upgraded dinosaur exhibit to an initiative that will reduce admission prices for low-income audiences. The most noticeable exterior change is a Harbor Plaza renovation that will turn the science center’s mostly brick main entrance to a landscaped green space with a sloping lawn, native plants and educational pathway markers.

“These extensive and exciting enhancements are the largest transformation of the Maryland Science Center since our Dinosaur Hall expansion opened in 2004,” said science center President and CEO Mark J. Potter. “As we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary next year, we’re making sure that our content and our experiences remain accessible, wide-ranging, and relevant to the next generation of explorers and leaders. We want to provide them with the engaging, hands-on moments of learning that encourage them to ask ‘why,’ the support to explore new ideas and options, and the joy of making discoveries and connections.”

Located at 601 Light St., the science center opened in June 1976 and was one of the first major attractions in Baltimore’s rejuvenated Inner Harbor, predating destinations such as the Baltimore Convention Center (1979), Harborplace (1980) and the National Aquarium (1981).

Today, the science center reaches more than 400,000 people each year at the Inner Harbor and through programs around the state. Although the 50^th anniversary of its opening is in 2026, Potter said, the science center is aiming to mark the occasion starting in June 2025.

Addressing supporters at a news conference, Potter said the science center has already raised about $7.2 million for enhancements from a mix of public and private sources — including the State of Maryland; The Kahlert Foundation; the Northrop Grumman Foundation, and the Constellation Foundation – and continues to raise more through its “Inspire, Empower and Engage” capital campaign.

He said one major capital improvement project is already complete and the goal is to finish the rest over the next 18 months or so.

The capital improvement projects include:

Space exhibit: In late 2025, a new 5,000-square-foot exhibit on space exploration will replace the Our Place in Space exhibit on the museum’s second floor. Dozens of interactive components will invite visitors to ask important questions as they consider their life beyond earth: What if we can travel to other planets? What might the challenges be and how can we overcome them? What do we need to do to understand how to live somewhere other than on our home planet?

The exhibit will explore such concepts as infinity, distance, speed, force, gravity, and, at the request of educators who note that students often mistake one for the other, revolution vs. rotation. Visitors will simulate launching and landing a futuristic spacecraft, manipulate robotic arms to perform tasks in space, and explore how the human body might react to the pull of gravity on different planets or when approaching a black hole. By designing an interstellar community, they will make collaborative decisions about allocating precious resources. Updated images and videos from the Webb Space Telescope and rocket launches will be displayed on a huge video wall. The exhibit’s total cost is $1.3 million. The Northrop Grumman Foundation is the sponsor, contributing $500,000.

The Shed: A popular makerspace called The Shed will be relocated to the second-floor gallery space overlooking the Inner Harbor promenade. The new Shed will feature 36 workstations that can accommodate more individuals and group activities, such as introductions to tools, activities that blend art, craft, science, and engineering, or creating a prototype for an inventive object. The new Shed will be named for The Kahlert Foundation, which made a $1 million gift to the science center. 

Dinosaur Mysteries: The science center’s 12 huge dinosaurs will remain but the first-floor exhibit will be refreshed with new technology, graphics, lighting and hands-on components. Content will also be revised to reflect new understanding of how dinosaurs lived.

Demonstration Stage: A new, larger Demonstration Stage on the third floor will accommodate more visitors and provide a more flexible environment for the science center’s daily schedule of educator-led science explorations.

Harbor Plaza renovation: As part of the science center’s commitment to sustainability and to be more welcoming to visitors, the plaza and entrance facing the Inner Harbor will be transformed into an inviting and educational green space. Improvements will include replacing brick surfaces with reclaimed paving and native plants, creating a shade canopy along a sloping lawn, and improving water management to reduce the impact on the Chesapeake Bay. Pathway markers will introduce visitors to noted Maryland scientists and scientific discoveries.

Mahan Rykiel Associates is the lead designer for the improvements, which are estimated to cost $1 million to $1.5 million. “Easy Landing,” the metal sculpture by Kenneth Snelson that was commissioned by the City of Baltimore and dedicated in 1978, will remain on the plaza.

Constellation Learning Entrance: As with the harbor entrance, the science center’s Key Highway entrance will be made over to feature more natural surfaces, more grass areas, and a shade canopy.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) improvements: The first project to be completed is a new building-wide HVAC system that was installed to create a more pleasant environment for visitors and to improve the science center’s energy efficiency. It cost $2 million and was funded by a grant from the State of Maryland.

In addition to the physical improvements, three programs are designed to make the science center accessible to more visitors.

Access Science: The first program, called Access Science, is designed to remove obstacles so that all Marylanders can enjoy the science center’s its exhibits and programs. The initiative, tested in a pilot program last summer, enables anyone with a Maryland SNAP or Maryland WIC card to purchase admission tickets for $5 per person. Potter said the program is expected to accommodate up to 7,500 visitors a year.

Science Beyond the Classroom Powered by Constellation: The second is an extension of the Science Beyond the Classroom program, which enables more than 85,000 students and teachers to visit the science center on field trips every year for free. Its sponsor, the Constellation Foundation, has agreed to renew its support to 2030.

MSC Across Maryland: With the third initiative, more Marylanders across the state will experience informal, hands-on STEM education as the science center participates in and hosts events in their communities. Every one of Maryland’s 23 counties will be visited under the program, more than once a year, Potter said.

Despite strong opposition from some Hampden residents, Baltimore’s zoning board voted 4 to 0 with one abstention to approve a restaurant operator’s request to offer live entertainment seven days a week.

The request came from Titan Hospitality Group, which wants to provide live entertainment at The Barn & Lodge, a restaurant and event space it’s planning to open at The Rotunda, 711 West 40^th St.

The Hampden Community Council (HCC) has opposed Titan’s plans for live entertainment at The Rotunda, and so has the area’s City Council representative, Odette Ramos. The HCC has scheduled a community meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 9, to discuss the project, the zoning board’s decision and possible next steps.

The zoning board heard testimony about Titan’s application during a public hearing on Sept. 3. When panel members were unable to reach a decision right away, they scheduled a second meeting on Oct. 1 for deliberations but no more public testimony, and their vote of approval came at that meeting.  

Under Baltimore City rules, interested parties have 10 days to request clarification or reconsideration by the zoning board regarding one of its decisions once it issues a written resolution about it, and they have 30 days after the resolution is issued to file an appeal to the Baltimore City Circuit Court.  

The residents who oppose Titan’s plan say they fear that if live entertainment is permitted, sounds from the establishment will disrupt residents of the surrounding area late at night and that the crowds it draws will cause traffic and parking problems.

They argue that The Rotunda shopping center, though zoned for commercial use, borders quiet residential streets and isn’t an appropriate place for an establishment offering live entertainment seven nights a week. They note that The Rotunda already has an outdoor concert series called “Rotunda Rocks” every Friday from May to September and a Farmers’ Market on Tuesdays that also has live music. They say they’re afraid The Barn & Lodge is a thinly-disguised banquet hall that will bring noise and crowds to the area all year long.

“We love restaurants, but this project will simply not work in this space,” states a petition against the project, signed by more than 75 Hampden residents. “We are extremely concerned about the effect this venue would have on our community and on our ability to continue to live, work and play without significant nuisance caused by traffic and late-night noise.”

The Rotunda isn’t known for its night life, and people who live nearby “do not wish to have live music and entertainment entering their homes and bedrooms at any hour, much less until 1 a.m. or later,” testified Blaise Ahearn, an executive board member of the community council, at the Sept. 3 hearing.

Houses on Elm Avenue

The majority owner of The Rotunda is MCB Real Estate, the owner of Harborplace at Pratt and Light streets and other commercial centers around Baltimore. MCB Real Estate has been working with Titan on plans to convert a former “boiler room” structure on the 11-acre Rotunda property to a restaurant and event space for more than 200 people, with a covered outdoor patio on one side for dozens more. The freestanding boiler room building and patio are on the western edge of the Rotunda property, less than 100 feet from a row of houses in the 3900 block of Elm Avenue.

Titan, based in Crofton, Maryland, sought approval from the zoning board because live entertainment is a conditional use in a C-2 zone, where the event space will be, and its request triggered the public hearings. The city’s liquor board granted a Class “B” restaurant license earlier this year for the Barn & Lodge project, but the license as approved does not allow Titan to offer live entertainment because it wasn’t permitted by the zoning board at that point.

The HCC has engaged Community Law Center senior staff attorney Shana Roth-Gormley to be its legal representative and advisor in the Barn & Lodge dispute. Opponents point to a decision in which the zoning board turned down a request for live entertainment in connection with a proposed food and beverage operation in the 4000 block of Falls Road, after nearby residents opposed that application on the grounds that it would have an adverse impact on nearby residents.

Opposition to Titan’s plan is coming from more than Hampden. Residents of Roland Park Place, an upscale retirement community across West 40^th Street from The Rotunda, have voiced concerns about the project, with resident and former Baltimore Magazine editor and general manager Stan Heuisler keeping his neighbors informed. Some tenants of the ICON Residences at The Rotunda apartment building at 727 W. 40^th St. have raised questions about how it will affect them. During a meeting of the Roland Park Civic League last week, president Tom Hoen said his organization supports the HCC in its opposition to live entertainment for the Barn & Lodge operation, and sent a letter in September saying so.

Heuisler noted in an email message to Baltimore Fishbowl that Roland Park Place is a constant care retirement community, located next to Keswick Multi-Care. “Both our communities are insulted by the ageism and community disrespect shown by developers who initially tried to sneak in without meeting us and, after community meetings began, broke off negotiations,” he wrote.

“The concept of loud music until 1 am, six days a week, across the street from our high rise health communities is simply an invasive public health issue, and if allowed to continue will be met by our inhabitants’ vigorous, constant and consistent legal challenges, and police complaints and perhaps picketing,” he continued. “The neighborhood’s residents, retired senior citizens, and those with health concerns cannot ignore this threat to our sleep, health, well-being; and increased traffic, parking and public safety concerns for those health care workers serving our communities.”

“This is a helluva mess and somebody in the city should step in,” he added in a separate message.

Separate event space

Titan’s plans call for The Barn & Lodge to include a “traditional dining room” with about 100 seats; two 14-seat private dining rooms; a “private events space” for about 100 people, and a covered outdoor space with about 73 seats.

Titan was represented at the zoning board meeting by Drew Tildon, an associate attorney with Rosenberg Martin Greenberg.  Headed by managing partner Caroline Hecker, the law firm is working with MCB Real Estate in its efforts to obtain city support and voter approval for its $500 million plan to raze the Harborplace pavilions and redevelop the area.

At the Sept. 3 zoning board hearing, Tildon spent much of her time reminding the board members what they can and cannot do, in accordance with local laws. She also stressed Titan’s track record in other parts of the state, its proposed investment at The Rotunda, and the number of jobs it would create. She said The Barn & Lodge represents a capital investment of more than $4 million and will create 75 jobs, eight of which will be salaried. A Titan principal, James King, said it is a $7 million investment.

Hampden residents told the board that they became wary of Titan because the company and its lawyer would not initially meet with them to discuss their plans. Titan only agreed to meet with community residents, they said, after Ramos intervened on their behalf.

Tildon told the zoning board members she initially didn’t schedule a meeting with Hampden residents because she didn’t think it was necessary for her clients to do so. Tildon said she thought that because the project would be on the grounds of a shopping center, she and her clients weren’t obligated to meet with anyone outside its boundaries.

Tildon also said that because The Rotunda already had live music two days a week, she didn’t think more live entertainment would be an issue. She said it’s usually her policy to reach out to applicable neighborhood associations when a client is submitting an application to the zoning board. “But given the fact that this is in the Rotunda shopping center where there are already two uniquely live music events that are actually outdoors, it just, it didn’t cross our minds,” she said.

A 2021 graduate of the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, and a protégé of Hecker, Tildon apologized at the zoning board hearing for not meeting with Hampden residents until Ramos intervened, and said she is the one to blame. “It is, frankly, mea culpa,” she said. “I should have reached out.”

Limiting hours

At the Oct. 1 meeting, chair James Fields, who often speaks first and sets the tone for the rest of the panel, said he supported Titan’s application and didn’t see any reason why live entertainment would be a problem. He noted that residents are concerned about the business’s impact on ongoing sewer issues in the area but he said he didn’t have reason to believe live entertainment at The Barn & Lodge would make conditions worse.

“In my view, the establishment, operation, maintenance of the conditional use, being live entertainment at that location, would not be detrimental to public health, safety and welfare,” Fields said. “I don’t believe the authorization would be contrary to public interest” or would have “adverse impact…with respect to the location.”

After Fields spoke, three more members voted to allow live entertainment as a conditional use of the property. Before voting, the commissioners said they wanted to limit the hours that Titan could offer live entertainment.

Titan had asked for permission to provide live entertainment in its private events space during the same hours the restaurant is open, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. The zoning board members said they wanted live entertainment to end by 11 p.m. on weeknights, Sunday to Thursday, but would allow live entertainment until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. They imposed no other restrictions.

Zoning commissioner David Marcozzi said he was comfortable approving Titan’s request as long as it doesn’t offer live entertainment on its outdoor patio, sticks to the agreed-upon hours and stays within the city’s legal limits regarding decibel levels. Commissioner Victor Clark said he was “in agreement with all that was said” by the previous speakers, including the suggestion to limit hours for live entertainment on weeknights..

Panel member Elizabeth Cornish offered a detailed explanation for her vote, saying that that applicant has demonstrated a “proven track record of success” and technical expertise in operating restaurants and event spaces elsewhere and that the project will activate a building that has been dormant for a long time. “That definitely plays in my favor,” she said.

Cornish said she wanted to be respectful of the community’s concerns and desire “to have the neighborhood maintain a certain feel or have a certain use, but our job is really to apply a standard that says: would it be more harmful than a similar use somewhere else?”

She said concerned residents will have ways to make sure The Barn & Lodge follows the law once it opens. “There are mechanisms for holding business owners accountable,” she said. “I continue to urge you all to work with your councilperson. Work within the noise ordinance, and then you start to build that relationship that will continue to create positive results over time.”

One abstention

The five-member zoning panel cast only four votes because its fifth member, Leland Shelton, serves on MCB Real Estate’s board and abstained from voting. Shelton stepped away from the panel and sat in the audience during the Barn & Lodge hearing on Sept. 3 but sat silently with the panel during its deliberations about Titan’s application on Oct. 1.

If the zoning board’s ruling stands, Titan will have to apply to the city’s liquor board for permission to amend the liquor license it was granted earlier this year, in order to offer live entertainment. That would give opponents another chance to challenge the project.

The community meeting is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at St. Luke’s Church on the Avenue, 800 W. 36^th Street.