| Rooftops
burst off City Hall condos
(Copyright 2004 of The Baltimore Sun)
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Edward Gunts
August 16, 2004
 "Live
next to the Mayor," suggests the sign on a historic
loft building one block from Baltimore's City Hall.
That's not actually what people will be able to do in
this building, since there's another structure between
it and City Hall, and Mayor Martin O'Malley doesn't
live in City Hall anyway.
Nonetheless,
the sign heralds one of the more intriguing designs
to be proposed this year for a local building conversion.
Instead of creating residences entirely within the shell
of the old manufacturing plant, the development team
is building penthouses that will appear to be bursting
from its roof.
Of
the 38 upscale condos planned, eight will be all-new
construction, rising above the building's original roofline.
These rooftop residences will be particularly noticeable
to drivers heading south on the Jones Falls Expressway,
because their irregular forms and glass-and-metal exteriors
will contrast with the brick and concrete body of the
main building.
For
those inside, they will offer unusual views of the city,
including much of East Baltimore.
"It
has good views of War Memorial Plaza, and you can see
the harbor right down the street," said architect
Peter Fillat. "There are also terrific panoramic
views toward Johns Hopkins Hospital."
The
six-story building at 234 Holliday St. was constructed
in 1881 and has contained a variety of printing and
manufacturing firms, including the Oscar T. Smith printing
company. The developer, A & R Development Corp.,
is calling it the Breco Building -- a name it had 50
years ago -- after one of the companies once housed
there.
The
$7.5 million conversion is part of a trend in which
several loft buildings near City Hall are being transformed
for housing and entertainment uses.
With
nightspots such as Hammerjack's and Club One, the area
is taking on some of the characteristics of the Power
Plant Live! district along Market Place. The new residences,
tucked into sites such as Saratoga Court and the Munsey
Building, keep people in the area 24 hours a day.
Fillat,
head of Peter Fillat Architects, said he wanted the
design of the Breco Building to convey some of the liveliness
of the surrounding area.
 "We
wanted to create a dynamic response to the site because
it's in the heart of this emerging entertainment district,"
he said. "Our thought was that this building could
reflect some of the energy of the street on the upper
levels."
The
design team also wanted to reflect the building's location
near a curve in the elevated expressway and has introduced
curved and angled walls on the penthouse-level residences.
"It's
a kinetic nexus," Fillat said. "All of these
things come together at this point, and the building
tries to thrive on that."
Prices
for the condominiums range from $170,000 to more than
$500,000. Construction is expected to start next month
and be completed in a year.
The
building will have space at street level for a cafe,
lobby and some off-street parking. Condominiums will
include open floor plans, exposed brick walls, large
windows, hardwood floors, granite kitchen countertops
and stainless steel appliances. The penthouses have
private patios and optional fireplaces.
"It's
a fantastic building because it has a lot of exposed
concrete and brick, and high ceilings," Fillat
said. "It's going to have a true loft feel."
Other
design consultants on the project include: R. D. Jones
Interior Design; STV Engineering and the Edgecombe Group
Landscape Architects.
Many
of the units have been reserved since the "Live
next to the Mayor" sign went up several weeks ago,
according to Bill Cassidy of Long and Foster Realtors,
the company handling sales. "The reservations have
poured in," Cassidy said. "That shows two
things: the strength of the downtown market, and that
the market is now more accepting of condominiums. Not
too many years ago, they weren't considered so acceptable."
The
sales could mean one more thing as well: People really
do want to live next to the mayor.
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