It’s an eyesore, and you may even think it’s a health hazard with all the dust from debris in the air when walking by. But the demolition of Baltimore City Community College’s downtown Bard Building is scheduled for completion in early September.
What was once a five-story, 172,600-square-foot academic building, located at 600 E. Lombard St. and Market Place, becomes larger a pile of rubble every few days.
Maryland’s Department of General Services is managing the Bard Building demolition project, on behalf of BCCC, the agency said in a statement. The Berg Corp., a Baltimore-based demolition firm, won a $4.2 million contract through a sealed bid to complete the work.
“The project is funded by the state and the value of the project exceeds the college’s delegated authority for procurement of goods and services,” DGS said in a statement.
In August 2023, the Berg Corporation received official notice to proceed with the demolition, and abatement and interior gutting began shortly after. By late March, the company began structural deconstruction that is expected to last through Sept. 7, according to DGS.
The property is expected to become green space while the school determines a permanent use for it, according to General Services. And the reconstruction will regrade the site with trees for shade bordering three sides of the plot.
Existing streets and sidewalks will also be restored for pedestrian use and lighting will be added for safety.
In 2021, the college and state legislators disagreed on future uses for the space. State Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, opposed plans to turn the property into a parking lot and asked then-Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, to find money in the state budget to demolish the property, The Baltimore Banner previously reported.
Adjacent to Power Plant Live!, the dining entertainment area downtown, lead developer David Cordish of the Cordish Cos., attempted to add the Bard Building to the company’s portfolio with plans to convert it to retail and residential units in 2017.
However, the four-year long project was rejected in April 2021 by BCCC President Debra McCurdy, who said it was not in the best interest of the college.
Cordish also tried to purchase the Bard Building in 2010 before the deal fell through two years later over costs, the Baltimore Business Journal reported in 2012.
