Sagamore Pendry Baltimore is a former warehouse in the heart of the Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore. The head house formally known as the Recreation Pier or Rec Pier stood vacant for more than 15 years. The brick Beaux Arts building originally stored port cargo.[2]
| Sagamore Pendry Baltimore | |
|---|---|
Recreation Pier/Rec Pier | |
  Location within Baltimore, MD | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Location | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 39°16′54″N 76°35′31″W / 39.2816081°N 76.5919536°W |
| Current tenants | Pendry Hotels and Resorts |
| Completed | 1914 (rebuilt 2017) |
| Cost | 60 million USD[1] |
| Owner | Sagamore Development Company, War Horse, LLC, Montage Hotels & Resorts |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Theodore Wells Pietsch I |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
History
editSagamore Pendry Baltimore is located within the 1700 Block of Thames Street, it opened on August 20, 1914; built by the city at a cost of over $1 million ($24 million USD today) as a commercial pier by Theodore Wells Pietsch I. The Recreation Pier as it was known served as a landing point for thousands of new immigrants processed across the Patapsco river at the Locust Point immigration station. The ferry continued to serve as an important social and economic link between the Fells Point and Locust Point communities until it finally closed in 1937.[3] Over the years the premises served a number of roles such as a meeting place for early 20th-century Baltimore immigrants with a rooftop playground space for children, to a maritime radio station headquartered within the pier. It was also used as a parking garage.[4][5]
In fiction
editFrom 1993-1999, the pier had been occupied as the police headquarters for the television series, Homicide: Life on the Street. More recently it was the set of the fictional Maryland School for the arts in the films Step Up and Step Up 2: the Streets.[6]
Restoration and reuse
editOver the years, many developers have tried to transform the 100-year-old pier. Previous developers struggled to find financing for the project because the pier needed so much work. A major piece of the pier's restoration involved replacing the pilings that are driven underwater and into the Baltimore harbor bed, an expensive undertaking. The restoration of the pier clocked in 200,000 worker-hours, $250,000 worth of asbestos and $300,000 worth of lead paint removal alone.[7] Developers also had to comply with preservation rules, and address potential flood risks.[8]
Sagamore Pendry Baltimore was designed by New York and Baltimore based BHC Architects and constructed by Whiting-Turner with interiors by Patrick Sutton Design.[9][10] The building reopened in March of 2017.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Fells Point Recreation Pier hotel plans unveiled". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Work Continues On Recreation Pier's Makeover « CBS Baltimore". Baltimore.cbslocal.com. 2015-03-04. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ "The Recreation Pier in Fell's Point, Maryland - Home". Recpier.com. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ a b "Historic Recreation Pier reopens as Sagamore Pendry Hotel". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ "Recreation Pier had many lives". Baltimore Sun. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ "Sagamore Pendry Baltimore Hotel - Baltimore, Maryland". Wikimapia.org. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ "Sagamore marks Recreation Pier construction milestone with Ray Lewis appearance". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ "Sagamore Pendry Hotel readies for opening". Baltimore Sun. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ "Kevin Plank Sees Fells Point Rec Pier Hotel as an". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Kevin Lynch (2017-03-21). "Photo Tour of the New Sagamore Pendry Hotel in Fells Point". Southbmore.com. Retrieved 2017-11-25.