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The Dripby Ed Gunts6:20 pmNov 10, 20150

BDC says it has a sense of urgency about saving the Mayfair Theater

Demolition of the city-owned landmark on Howard Street is “not on the table,” according to the development agency

Above: The Mayfair Theater last November following smoke damage from a fire in an adjacent city-owned building.

Demolition of the historic Mayfair Theater is not being considered as a development strategy for downtown Baltimore’s West Side, a Baltimore Development Corporation official today promised the city’s preservation commission.

Brian Greenan, economic development officer for the BDC, appeared at a meeting of the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation to provide a status report on his agency’s efforts to stabilize the theater and find a developer to recycle it.

“Not on the table,” Greenan said in response to a question from the panel about whether demolition is an option. “Our intent is to attract sharp, creative ideas for the Mayfair Theater. . . Our intent is to offer it for development.”

The city-owned theater at 506 North Howard Street has been vacant for decades and is in extremely poor condition, with its roof collapsed into the middle of the building.

Built in the late 1800s, it was once part of a lively entertainment district that included other theaters, restaurants and hotels. It has been designated a city landmark, which means CHAP must approve changes to the exterior.

Trying to Stabilize

Last month, CHAP approved a request by the BDC to tear down the Franklin-Delphy Hotel just south of the Mayfair because it was so dilapidated. CHAP commissioner Jim French voiced a concern during that meeting that the BDC might come back and ask to tear down the Mayfair next.

Greenan said that is not the plan. He said the BDC, which oversees downtown development, has been working with a local engineering firm, Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani, to analyze the building’s condition and determine a way to stabilize its outer shell to prepare it for redevelopment.

He said WBC&M inspected the building in March 2012 and again last July and found there had been “no significant” additional collapse of the building since 2012. He said the engineers made a series of recommendations, such as clearing out debris from the interior.

Greenan said the BDC has asked the engineers to recommend the best way to stabilize the building’s north and south walls, which are keys to making the shell structurally sound and protecting the ornate Howard Street facade.

He said the demolition of the Franklin-Delphy Hotel will enable engineers to gain access to the Mayfair from the south and conduct additional analysis that will help them figure out how best to stabilize it. He said the engineers will be brought back for more analysis once the Franklin-Delphy building has been razed.

“Our intent is to move forward with further analysis that reflects actual conditions so we can assess our options for stabilization,” he explained.

The panel asked if the BDC has any preference for how the Mayfair could be reused. Greenan said the agency is open to suggestions and is in the process of drafting a formal Request for Proposals from developers.

The panel asked if the Franklin-Delphey site, after it is cleared, will be offered to developers along with the Mayfair. Greenan indicated that it may be offered that way or the two parcels could be offered separately.

Greenan said after the meeting that his main message to CHAP was that the development agency has a sense of urgency about saving the Mayfair. “We aren’t waiting until next year,” he said. “We’re underway now.”

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