BCCC to demolish its vacant downtown building
Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) has announced plans to demolish its vacant Bard Building in downtown Baltimore. The building at Market Place and East Lombard Street has been vacant for over a decade and has become a blight on the surrounding area.
According to an upcoming agenda of the state’s Board of Public Works, the five-story, 172,000-square-foot building will be “re-graded as a large open lawn with shade trees” after demolition.
The demolition is being funded by $7.4 million of state funding initially earmarked in 2021 by Governor Larry Hogan. BCCC will initially use the land as green space while a permanent use for the property is determined.
The fate of the Bard Building has been in limbo for over a decade, with various developers expressing interest in acquiring and redeveloping the site. However, none of these plans came to fruition, and the building has remained vacant and deteriorating.
The demolition of the Bard Building is expected to improve the surrounding area and provide a much-needed facelift to downtown Baltimore. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining and redeveloping vacant buildings to prevent blight and promote economic growth.
