Plans for redevelopment of the 14-acre Pikesville Armory campus are moving ahead with the announcement of a team to lead the effort and state approval of a change in ownership of the land.
Maryland’s Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved a request to transfer ownership of the Armory property at 610 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville to Baltimore County for $1.
The county intends to transfer the property to the Pikesville Armory Foundation, a non-profit that has been formed to redevelop it in phases, in partnership with Baltimore County and the state of Maryland. The total cost of the redevelopment is estimated to be $100 million.
The foundation announced that it will be redeveloping the property in partnership with two Baltimore organizations, Seawall and Onyx Development. Ziger/Snead Architects is the lead architect and Unknown Studio is the landscape architect. Seawall is the firm behind the construction of the new Lexington Market, as well as the R House food hall.
The land transfer approved on Wednesday includes buildings that were operated by the Maryland Military Department but have been declared surplus by the state of Maryland. They are: the Armory Building, also known as the Cooper Armory; the Merson Building, the Admin/Edwards Building; the NCO (Non-Commissioned Officers) Club and the Blacksmith Shop, as well as some of the garages on the site. The buildings contain about 225,000 square feet of space.
The property, valued at $4.2 million by one appraiser, has been the site of an armory for the past 120 years and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Its transfer, approved without discussion at the state meeting, is subject to a historic preservation easement to the Maryland Historic Trust.
‘Multi-use venue’
Preservation and redevelopment of the armory property have been a subject of community concern and debate for years. In 2017, the armory was the focus of attention of a governor-appointed commission that gave citizens a chance to say what they would like to see happen there.
The result was a report that recommended the site be redeveloped as a “a multi-use venue for recreation, arts and other community programming” and led to the formation of the Pikesville Armory Foundation to serve as stewards for the property and oversee its transformation.
The Pikesville Armory Foundation includes representatives from the Greater Pikesville Recreation Council; the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce; the Veterans of the Pikesville Military Reservation; the 1000 Friends of Pikesville, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore. Board members have expertise in the arts, parks and recreation, education, military affairs and history, architecture and development. David Ginsburg is the foundation’s executive director.
Earlier this year, the foundation held a series of community meetings and began working with Seawall and Onyx Development. This week’s announcement was the first time their selection was made public.
“In selecting Seawall and Onyx as our development partners, we are confident that we are creating a community-centered project that will be transformative for the region,” foundation president Shelley Morhaim said in a statement.
According to foundation vice president Barry Williams, “the first step will be the renovation of the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club Building, which is currently used by over 500 veterans. When complete, it will serve not only the veterans’ groups, but also local community organizations and provide a venue for private events.”
Construction work on the NCO Club could begin in mid-2024, with the larger project to restore and renovate the Armory building and surrounding fields and structures getting underway in 2025, foundation leaders say.
Community-focused development
Founded in 2006 and headed by Thibault Manekin, Seawall has extensive experience with community-led, mixed-use projects and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. Its past projects include a new home for Lexington Market; the R House food hall in Remington; the multi-tenant Union Collective development and teacher apartments and non-profit office space at Miller’s Court and Union Mill.
Onyx Development is a Black- and female-owned company led by Rian Hargrave, its founder and CEO. It specializes in community-centered development and is currently working on the renovation of historic rowhomes in the Pimlico and Franklin Square/Harlem Park neighborhoods; student housing near Coppin State University, and as a consultant to other mission-driven projects.
Seawall and Onyx will work in partnership with the foundation on all aspects of the project’s design, financing, public art, leasing, and programming.
“The Pikesville Armory redevelopment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together Baltimoreans from all walks of life,” said Peter DiPrinzio of Seawall, in a statement. “We believe this will be a transformative project that both honors the history of this property and turns it into a valuable community gathering place for generations to come.”
“Community-focused development is something Onyx and Seawall pride ourselves on,” said Hargrave. “The Pikesville Armory project will be a paramount project that will make the Armory a destination not only for Baltimore County and the Northwest Corridor, but Baltimore City as well as the State of Maryland. We’re thrilled to be a part of restoring such a renowned site.”
The foundation is holding a series of community tours to show the campus and get feedback about project plans and programming. The next tour dates are October 7th at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and October 29 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. More information is available on the Pikesville Armory Foundation Facebook page and the foundation’s website, https://pikesvillearmoryfoundation.org/.
