Visit Baltimore : Development News

Power Plant Live has sushi, pizza and a host of nightclubs to lure in visitors.

Now add mechanical bull riding to its reputation.

PBR Baltimore Cowboy Bar will open next to Angels Rock Bar in March, says Danielle Babcock, director of marketing for Power Plant Live landlord the Cordish Co.

Entertainment Concepts Investors LLC, a Baltimore company that runs bars and restaurants in Cordish properties, is licensing the concept from Professional Bull Riders Inc. The Pueblo, Colo., bull riding organization organizes bull riding competitions and tours, some of which are televised.

The 8,000-square-foot bar will play country music and hold a mechanical bull in the center. It will be a standing room only bar that can hold up to 700. It will be the third PBR bar, after Kansas City and Las Vegas. Another will open soon in Houston.

Professional Bull Riders has drawn 45 million fans in its 16 years, says company president Sean Gleason. He bills it as one of the fastest growing sports brands.

Gleason says Baltimore seemed like a good fit for the upscale country-themed bar because the organization has a large fan base in the area.
Having a bar that features mechanical bull riding in a fun atmosphere will hopefully promote the Professional Bull Riding brand, Gleason says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Sean Gleason, Professional Bull Riders; Danielle Babcock, the Cordish Co.

Devotees of Baltimore's Corned Beef Row will soon have a new reason to go to the Inner Harbor. Lenny's Delicatessen will open in the Pratt Street Pavilion of Harborplace, according to General Growth Properties, owners of Harborplace and The Gallery. The delicatessen will occupy approximately 3,100 sq. ft. It's scheduled to open Spring 2011. 

The Lenny's Deli Harborplace location will offer breakfast all day along with a full array of deli meats, fried chicken, wraps, salads, and baked goods for dining in, catering, and carry out. Owner Alan Smith and his father, Lenny Smith, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of Lenny's in Owings Mills. The second location, on Baltimore's famed Corned Beef Row, opened in 1991. The Harborplace location will be the third in the Baltimore area.

"We felt the Inner Harbor area needed a place where tourists and business people could go for a good corned beef sandwich," says Alan Smith. "We are excited to be opening at Harborplace, where all visitors to Baltimore make sure to stop during their trip here. We look forward to serving the Baltimore business community and those who stop on their way to Orioles and Ravens games."

General Properties also revealed that Francesca's Collection, a boutique specializing in fashion forward women's clothing, accessories and gifts, will join the lineup of stores for spring 2011. The new store will be approximately 800 sq. ft. and will be located on the first floor of The Gallery. It will be the first Francesca's in the Baltimore area.

Source:General Growth Properties
Writer: Walaika Haskins

It's been in the planning stages for 10 years. Now, it looks like this ship is almost ready to sail.

Baltimore City's Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel gave its final approval this month for a new Education and Heritage Center at the ship museum USS Constellation.

Now it just needs another $1.6 million in funding to open by spring 2012, Constellation Executive Director Christopher Rowsom says.  It's already gotten $2.6 million from federal, state and city government.

The new building will contain more extensive interpretative exhibits detailing what life was like on board the 19th century ship, Rowsom says.

Crafted by Museum Design Associates of Cambridge, Mass., the expanded exhibits will hopefully boost the city's cultural and heritage tourism promotions.

The exhibits will highlight the ship's role in fighting the African slave trade when it intercepted three slave ships from 1859 to 1861.

"Baltimore is a very historical place," Rowsom says. "We want to have everything interpreted and displayed properly."

Designed by W Architecture & Landscape Architecture of New York, the new wood-and-glass structure will be modern looking, Rowsom says.

At 12-feet high, the new visitors' center will be half the height of the current structure and won't block the view of other ships at the Inner Harbor, Rowsom says.

"It's not a very nice piece of architecture and it blocks the views of the ship," he says of the current education center.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Christopher Rowsom, USS Constellation

After being shuttered for four months, the Senator Theatre will reopen Oct. 15 as the new operators plan a yearlong, $2 million renovation of the historic cinema in North Baltimore.

James and Kathleen Cusack, the owners of the Charles Theatre, will add a new restaurant, bar, and second screen to the Senator. Quyam Karzai, owner of b and Charles Theatre neighbor Tapas Teatro, will run the bar and small-plate restaurant. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 75.

The Cusacks took over the theater's lease in August after successfully submitting a bid to the city on redevelopment plans for the property. Baltimore City has owned the 71-year-old theater since last year, after paying $810,000 to keep the financially beleaguered business from going into foreclosure. The Senator was formerly owned by Tom Kiefaber and had been a family-run theater since its inception.

The new theater operators want to "return it to its glory days with 21st century amenities," says Clare Miller, a spokeswoman for the Cusacks.

The Cusacks' renovation includes replacing the seats, wall coverings, curtains, and painting the ceilings. They also plan to upgrade the electric systems, sprinklers, and roof. The theater will remain open during construction.

The Senator is located next to the Belvedere Square shopping center, whose tenants include furniture store Nouveau Contemporary Goods, wine bar Grand Cru and Daedalus Books and Music. Miller says the Cusacks want to invest in the "vibrant" Belvedere Square neighborhood because it's a "destination" attraction.

The Senator will show the movie "Red" starring Helen Mirren and Bruce Willis on opening day.
 
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Clare Miller, Senator

Dick's Last Resort, � known for its irreverent waitresses, semi-tropical setting and wacky d�cor � will open its eighth restaurant in Baltimore's Inner Harbor June 28.

About one-third of the 9,000-square-foot restaurant will be used for outdoor seating on a dock to be built on the Inner Harbor pier, says Ralph McCracken, president and chief operating officer of Nashville, Tenn.,-based DLR Restaurants LLC.

Open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., the Inner Harbor restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, with live, classic rock music every night.

Servers have to "audition" for the position, to make sure they are wisecracking and sassy enough to work for Dick's, McCracken says. They also have to know how to make a paper hat to give diners while they eat.

While at most restaurant,s the average table holds three to four persons, Dick's attracts parties between six and eight. Groups are the restaurant's prime market, including bachelorette parties, families on vacation, convention attendees and sports fans. The Inner Harbor location was ideal for the restaurant chain since it attracts tourists and is convenient to the convention center and baseball stadium, McCracken says.

Located next to Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Hard Rock Caf� at the Cordish Co.'s Power Plant development, the restaurant will employ 130.

The Baltimore restaurant will be outfitted with motorcycles hanging from the ceiling and a mural painted by a local artist of the namesake mascot "Dick" in a boat fishing with a keg of beer.

Dick's Last Resort's other restaurants are located in Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
A 9th restaurant will open this year in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

McCracken declined to say how much the company is investing in the new restaurant.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Ralph McCracken

Leaders at the Maryland Women's Heritage Center are scouting locations in Baltimore and Annapolis for a permanent home for its exhibits that highlight the Free State's leading ladies. The site pays homage to accomplished Maryland women in a Hall of Fame display. Featured women include biotech pioneer Claire Fraser-Liggett, Harriet Tubman, environmentalist and "Silent Spring" author Rachel Carson and jazz great Billie Holiday.

Center leaders expect to open a 25,000-square-foot center within two years, and need to raise $5 million to open a permanent building, Executive Director Jill Moss Greenberg says.  

The center opens its temporary home June 19 at 39 W. Lexington St. Located in the former Baltimore Gas & Electric Building, the initial space was donated by David Hillman, CEO of Southern Management Corporation. Greenberg says the board is looking at half a dozen sites in downtown Baltimore and is zeroing in on Baltimore and Annapolis with the hope that the locales can attract conference attendees and students on school trips.

The permanent location will host more interactive exhibits, a library, women's history archive, arts and crafts display, meeting space and gift shop with books and gifts made by Maryland women.

Center officials will launch a capital campaign this year."I know it's terrible timing because of the economy but we're at the point where we need to do so," she says.

The center has an operating budget of about $100,000 and gets its funding from the state, corporations, foundations and individuals. Entrance is free.


The Maryland Women's Heritage Center is an offshoot of the Maryland Women's History Project, collaboration between the Maryland Commission for Women and the Maryland State Department of Education.


Source: Jill Moss Greenberg, Maryland Women's Heritage Center
Writer: Julekha Dash

All the world's a stage for residents of Baltimore's Hamilton neighborhood. So, it may be no surprise that after 15 years in Federal Hill, Performance Theatre Workshop is moving to 5426 Harford Road in July.

Productions at the new space will begin Fall 2011, after theater staff have raised the $500,000 needed to purchase and refurbish the former Provident Bank building,  Marlyn Robinson, one of the company's artistic director says.

Leaders at the nonprofit will begin a capital campaign in the near future, raising money from individuals and foundations so they can move into the historic building, which dates to 1928. Baltimore architects Ziger/Snead LLC -- who have worked with MICA and Centerstage -- will design and restore the building.

The new space will give Performance Theatre 80 seats, versus 30 at its spot at 28 E. Ostend Street, near Cross Street Market. "We needed to serve more people," since at times, the theater was at capacity, Robinson says. The spot also offers ample parking and access for the disabled, something that was lacking in its Federal Hill space.

Robinson expects that the area's young families and throngs of artists will be interested in the theater's productions.
"It's an area that very much wants to develop and grow," Robinson says. "We think that is a welcoming and interested neighborhood."

Two neighborhood associations invited the theater troupe to move to the area, Marc Horwitz, also an artistic director for the company, says.

The Hamilton and nearby Lauraville neighborhoods have attracted a host of new restaurants and cafes in recent years, including Clementine, Hamilton Tavern and Red Canoe Bookstore Caf�.

Originally based in Pennsylvania, Performance Theatre Workshop has a strong educational mission and hosts workshops and post-theater discussions. Theater officials hope to help train Hamilton high school students. "I'd like the theater to grow into a magnet for the schools and receive training from professionals," Horwitz says.

The troupe's most recent production was the "Puppetmaster of Lodz," a play about a Holocaust survivor that the theater runs every seven years. Next season, it plans to hold its plays in various performance spots throughout the city until its new Hamilton space is ready.

Wanna know more? Read more about the area's Arts and Culture scene.

Sources: Marc Horwitz, Marlyn Robinson, Performance Theatre Workshop
Writer: Julekha Dash

You're an out-of-towner who finds himself stumbling into a bar called Kooper's Tavern in Baltimore's historic Fells Point neighborhood. A few too many pints of Guinness later and now you're just looking for the nearest place to crash with a comfy bed.

Kooper's Owner Patrick Russell and his partner Bill Irvin have the answer for the itinerant, inebriated guest. The pair took over Celie's Waterfront Bed & Breakfast last month, hoping to expand their hospitality enterprise to include an inn. The partners paid $1.3 million to purchase the 5,800-square-foot building and business from Kevin and Nancy Kupec.
 
The seven-room B&B also includes two apartments for extended-stay travelers who are, say, in town on business or getting treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The partners spruced up the apartments and patio with new furniture. Russell says the partners are also counting on wedding business, tourists and weekday business travelers to book rooms.

Operating a B&B also enables Russell to generate more revenue for his Fells Point restaurants, which include Kooper's,Slainte and burger wagon Kooper's Chowhound. Combined, the businesses employee 140 people.

"I feel like we can generate more business from the restaurants by providing food for the guests," Russell says. He plans to offer a "real" breakfast to guests and serve food from the restaurants at cocktail parties and wedding receptions.

And women who need a place to get their hair done before getting married can turn to Russell as well. His wife and sister-in-law operate K Co. Design Salon and Day Spa in Mount Washington. Russell offers a car service from Celie's to the salon. 


Russell  and Irvin say they're keeping their eye out for more business to acquire. "We're very interested in expanding to become a very big company," but without spreading himself and his staff too thin.
 
So far, the inn has surpassed their expectations. It sold out during Memorial Day weekend, and bookings are more than 20 percent ahead of last year. Rooms cost between $149 and $400.

"Running an inn is very much like running your household. You get up and make breakfast but you make it for a few other folks," Russell says.

Wondering what else is happening in Fells Point? Find it here!

Source: Patrick Russell, Celie's
Writer: Julekha Dash

Coming to a curb near you: burritos to order. Lesa Bain and Shawn Smith bring their version of the Mexican classic to the hungry lunchtime crowd gratis of their 12-foot truck. The two have been cruisin' through Hampden and neighborhood festivals for the past two weeks.

In the next few months, Bain says she and her husband hope to make their burrito wagon, Curbside Caf�, a full-time venture. Just five bucks a piece, the burritos come filled with ingredients --some traditional and some not so traditional -- including pulled pork, black beans, tofu and veggies.Curbside even sells an Indian-style burrito stuffed with chana masala, or chickpeas with Indian spices.

"We have a variety of burritos. We're not trying to go for a Mexican theme," Bain says.

Why a food wagon? The couple wanted to launch a business and thought a food venture would be perfect since Smith is a good cook, Bain says.

They chose a food wagon instead of a more stationary location because they wanted to start small. Bain got the idea after seeing food delivery trucks in California, Philadelphia and New York. She estimates that the couple have spent about $10,000 to cover start-up costs.

"They're everywhere in other cities, but not too many in Baltimore," She continues. .

One of the biggest challenges to starting the business has been figuring out what will sell well and knowing just how much food they will need for an event. 

A number of food wagons have taking to trolling the streets of Charm City in recent months. Icedgems Baking roves throughout Baltimore County selling cupcakes and other sweet confections. Patrick Russell, owner of Koopers Tavern in Fells Point, started Kooper's Chowhound, a burger wagon, last year.

Bain and Smith will eventually take their truck beyond Hampden's border, but for now, the neighborhood suits them fine. The couple live in the area and know a lot of business owners there. "There's a lot going on in Hampden," Bain says.

There's more happening in Hampden. Read about it here.

Source: Lesa Bain, Curbside Cafe
Writer: Julekha Dash

Tucked away just off the corner of Howard and 27th Streets is Sweet Sin, a gluten-free cafe. The cafe, opened in October 2009, is the brainchild of Richard D'Souza and his wife, Renee, a Baltimore native.

"We moved to Baltimore from Hawaii for business reasons. My wife has Celiac's disease and is a pastry chef. She wanted to create something better than what was currently on the market. Five years ago there was almost nothing in the market and what was there was a lot like the sole of your shoe," D'Souza says.

Finding the location at 123 W. 27th Street, the former location of Charm City Cakes was a stroke of luck. "I didn't have a lot of money. The rent was dirt cheap and we liked the neighborhood," says D'Souza.
 
In five years and with just $8000, the couple had created a wholesale business selling their gluten-free cookies to national chains such as Whole Foods as well as regional chains including Wegmann's. "Every month we're in a new state."

The pair decided to invite the public into their shop with a retail location after they moved the bulk of their baking to a new location in Rosedale. "I was going to be paying rent for this place not matter what. A cupcake shop seemed like a good idea and people had been telling me they needed some gluten-free food, so I started cooking gluten-free food."

Sweet Sin was the result, but its only the beginning. With the recipes he's developed, D'Souza says he and his wife will expand their operations to include a restaurant next door in the former location of Three Sisters. He's just waiting to get a liquor license approved and expects the restaurant to open in about two months.

Source: Richard D'Souza, Sweet Sin
Writer: Walaika Haskins

A group of leading architects and university officials have formed a nonprofit design collaborative and are looking at 10 N. Charles Street as a possible home. The space would hold classes, lectures, design exhibits and host events.

D:Center 15-member board includes staff at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland College Park.

"What's missing [in Baltimore]  is a center or place to figure out what is going on in the area of design," says Klaus Philipsen, a Baltimore architect and D:Center's president.

The members are talking to 10 N. Charles Street's landlord, Peter Angelos' Artemis Properties Inc., about taking 40,000 square feet of space in the building once the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business leaves in the fall for the Legg Mason Tower in Harbor East. Runing the physical location would cost between $300,000 to $1.5 million to operate, Philipsen says.

D:Center, whose board includes architecture firms Cho Benn Holback + Associates and Brown Craig Turner, already has an ongoing program called "design conversations" in which speakers present design-related ideas. The concept is not unlike Ignite Baltimore, Philipsen says.

Having a physical home could enable the group to house a center on Baltimore design and architecture that would attract tourists, Philipsen says. The participating universities could also host inter-collegiate architecture courses.

The downtown spot is centrally located and could attract students and tourists, Philipsen says.

"It seems like a wonderful place," Philipsen says. "We don't want to be in a neighborhood that is not central."


Source: Klaus Philipsen, D: Center
Writer: Julekha Dash

A new chef and owner is saying "ciao" to Locust Point's Pazza Luna.

Milan native Davide Rossi and his wife Christa have taken over the neighborhood eatery at 1401 E. Clement St. from Riccardo Bosio. The owner of Mount Vernon's Sotto Sopra, Bosio owned the trattoria for more than three years.

Rossi says he plans to add a host of new Northern Italian menu items to the 65-seat restaurant, which he started running Feb. 2.

The Rossis come to Baltimore after six years running Ports of Italy in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The couple have put that restaurant up for sale, though if it doesn't get a buyer, Rossi will hire a manager to run it during the busy summer months. 

The two decided to make the move in part because Christa is from Baltimore. Rossi also likes the people and culinary scene here.
"I love Baltimore," Rossi says. "There's great food, great people, great restaurants."

He was also impressed with the receptiveness of his Locust Point neighbors. When they heard that Pazza Luna was getting a new owner, they introduced themselves."That doesn't happen very often in big cities," Rossi says.

Rossi says he his not sure if he will renovate the restaurant's interior. But he is planning a big makeover of the menu. His signature dishes will include lobster ravioli with mascarpone; rack of lamb with a sambuca demi-glaze and beef tenderloin with a gorgonzola brandy truffle sauce. He will also feature fresh pasta and risotto.


Source: Davide Rossi, Pazza Luna
Writer: Julekha Dash

The Hotel Brexton, a 29-room boutique hotel in Mount Vernon has hired Paul Masai as its general manager and will open its doors to the public Feb. 12.

A native of Kenya, Masai was formerly the assistant manager at the Inn at the Colonnade. The Charles Village property and the Hotel Brexton are both is owned by Richard Naing. Masai has also held management positions at the Holiday Inn Inner Harbor and the Tremont Plaza Hotel.

After a nearly $5 million restoration, developer RWN Development Group is reviving the historic 129-year-old Mount Vernon hotel following years of disrepair and nearly two decades of vacancy. Hotel officials are counting on its proximity to universities and hospitals to draw business, Masai says.

The hotel is close to the University of Baltimore and the Maryland Institute College of Art and not far from Mercy Medical Center. By the end of the month, the hotel will house a cafe and ice cream shop managed by Gifford's Ice Cream, a chain in the Greater Washington area that has a location in Pikesville. The cafe will serve breakfast and snacks and offer outdoor seating during warmer months.

Designed by Kann Partners and built by HOD Contractors, the property was built in 1881 as a residential hotel. Hotel designers have left many original details, including a circular staircase and a pentagon-shaped elevator. The hotel also includes a Wallis Simpson Suite in honor of the Duchess of Windsor, who lived in the Brexton as a child.

Rooms at the hotel will cost between $139 and $179.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Paul Masai, Hotel Brexton

If you've noticed that Hampden's Avenue seems a little less bright this week that may be because the Shine Collective has left its long-time home on 36^th Street for a new space in the Clipper Mill Complex.

"I know it seems illogical for a retailer to move from a retail street. But, really, for us I think it was more that we get the opportunity to use this beautiful space. It's rare in the city and still within a mile of the avenue," says Campbell.

The new store, located at 2010 Clipper Park Road, in a former artist's loft behind Woodberry Kitchen, will enable owners Jamie Campbell and Melissa Kirby, to do more.

The boutique's new home has huge windows in an area surrounded by nature � a rarity in any city. It has "super high ceilings" and much more space that will allow Campbell and Kirby to better showcase their designer accessories and clothing. "It's a beautiful part of the city. There're train tracks and there's a river over there and trees everywhere. The architecture of the Mill is so inspiring."

"What made me feel this was the right thing is all the talented people that came out of the woodwork to help us. Carpenters and artists and friends that said, 'you guys are doing something special here. We want to be a part of it, too. It was really kind of amazing," she says.

"We also wanted to shift our focus a little bit toward our website. We came to this crossroads. We have the store. We have a following, but we don't have the right kind of space to work on the photography and the product and the website. We're building backwards in a way, forming our headquarters and building out from there," Campbell explains.

Though the shop has moved from a rowhouse to a loft-like space, shoppers will find a sort of bohemian and homey �lan at the new location.

"It was a rather rough artist studio that we've softened up with paint, our color scheme and adding some homey touches to it. We put in a mantel we found at Houseworks. It feels like a living room in somebody's loft apartment. I had a friend to Venetian plaster in our dressing rooms. It's really nice and doesn't feel cold like a modern loft. It's kind of funky," she says.

The location is not the only thing that is changing at Shine. Campbell says that they will continue to offer a wide variety of accessories and jewelry, adding new jewelry and bag lines in the spring.

"We're definitely going to focus more on key pieces instead of volume. We're going to keep some of the clothing lines, but shift to focus on dresses and pieces you can add to your wardrobe that are going to be essential but not basic."

Shine will no longer carry denim. "We're finding that our customers really want a top or a dress that no one else has. We want to stay on our original course trying to find pieces you can't find anywhere else."

"We really appreciate how far along Hampden has come. [Melissa] set started a new thing. She was the first person to open a boutique like this in Hampden. She grew out of her old space on Roland [Avenue] and moved to the new space on the Avenue. Now we feel like we're changing and growing again. This is just the next step in our evolution. We like being pioneers in that way."

Source: Jamie Campell, Shine Collective
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Jasmine Asian Bistro, the popular Pikesville restaurant, has opened a second location in Timonium at 2141 York Road, just across from the fair grounds. According to John Phang, manager, the owners chose the area because of customer demand.

"We have a lot of customers there and we chose a really good location with a party room large enough for 50 people."

The new restaurant is larger than the original and features a first for Baltimore two tatami rooms - Japanese style dining room - where diners may remove their footwear and relax against a bevy of pillows at the tables that rise just a foot or so above the floor. Each room can seat up to 10. The sushi bar is also larger, seating up to10.

Although the menu still includes many of the favorites fans of the Pikesville restaurant enjoy, there have been a few changes.  "We still sell the best of the best of Asian food - Chinese, Japanese sushi, Thai and Vietamese, but we've made a few additions," Phang says.

Business at the new location, which opened Dec. 14 has been picking up, attracting more customers. "We're doing pretty good now. We even have plans to open new location," he says.