The University of Baltimore will take over The Associated’s headquarters following its move to a new campus on Park Heights Avenue.
University leaders announced on Thursday that the institution has agreed to lease The Associated’s Krieger Building at 101 West Mount Royal Avenue and plans to open a “UBalt Welcome Center” there. The lease is for 10 years and begins on September 1, enabling the university to move in this fall.
The four-story building on Mount Royal Avenue became available after leaders of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore decided to move its headquarters to the Weinberg Park Heights Jewish Community Center campus at 5700 Park Heights Avenue after 44 years on Mount Royal Avenue.
The 10-acre property has been renamed the Goldsmith Campus in recognition of a major donation from the Goldsmith family, and some employees of The Associated are already working from there.
A ‘natural’
The Krieger building is adjacent to the University of Baltimore’s campus and the lease means it won’t be dormant following The Associated’s departure – a concern of leaders of the Mount Vernon Belvedere Association and others in the area.
It also gives the university room to relocate some administrative offices and programs as it prepares to serve as a temporary home for Baltimore City College high school when its historic building at 3220 The Alameda undergoes a three-year renovation starting in the summer of 2025.
Baltimore’s school board voted 8 to 1 in May to use part of the University of Baltimore campus, including portions of its Academic Center and William H. Thumel Business Center, as swing space for Baltimore City College during the renovation period.
University of Baltimore President Kurt L. Schmoke calls the UBalt Welcome Center project a “natural” for both the campus and the businesses, cultural institutions and residences nearby.
“We know that our audiences expect an all-in-one approach to visiting the university, and this project gets us to that goal with ease,” he said in a statement about the lease.
“As midtown continues to evolve, and more people shop, attend cultural events at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall or the Lyric only a few steps away, or recognize that Mt. Vernon and Bolton Hill are simply great places to live, our new Welcome Center will become part of the rejuvenated fabric of the neighborhood,” Schmoke said. “I expect that even commuters who use light rail or Penn Station will come to see the building as a natural outgrowth of a part of Baltimore that is on the rise.”
“Vibrant and inviting”
According to the university, the UBalt Welcome Center will be a “vibrant and inviting” environment for prospective students, visitors, alumni and donors with on-site parking for visitors and guests.
Administrators say it will enable the university to centralize several key functions that are currently spread out in its Academic Center at the northwest corner of Charles Street and Mount Royal Avenue.
Among the Welcome Center’s occupants will be enrollment management staff, including admissions, financial aid, and registrar’s office personnel. It will also house employees associated with the university bursar, advancement and external relations, marketing, public relations and government relations, as well as UBalt’s executive offices and senior staff.
Administrators say that by centralizing these public-facing operations in a space near the heart of campus, the university will convey “a cohesive portrait of an institution with a rich history of combining strong academics, city living, and successful careers.”
And by moving employees into the Krieger building, they say, the university will free up space in the Academic Center for use by more than 1,500 Baltimore City College students and teachers.
Master plan
The university’s lease with The Associated grew out of campus planning efforts that took place throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. A new master plan for the midtown campus will be presented to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents in September.
The lease allows the university to purchase the Krieger building from The Associated as part of its master plan for the area.
“We are thrilled that our neighbors at the University of Baltimore will utilize this property to enhance their institution and strengthen the community for all who live, work and study in Mount Vernon,” said Mark Renbaum, co-chair of The Associated’s Real Estate Committee, in a statement.
“While this is a bittersweet moment for our organization as we leave this building we have called home for the past 44 years, we will continue to maintain a strong presence in Baltimore City as we relocate our headquarters to our newly renovated Park Heights campus. The lease with an option-to-buy arrangement is a win-win for both The Associated and UBalt, and we look forward to a bright future for both organizations.”
