BDC Issues RFP for 1701 E. North Avenue

Baltimore, MD (May 19, 2011) – The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) today announced that, on behalf of the City of Baltimore, it has issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for the purchase and redevelopment of the City-owned property at 1701 East North Avenue.

Known as the “Gompers Building”, the .87-acre parcel with frontage on East North Avenue is located at the southeast corner of East North Avenue and Broadway Street, on the boundary of the Broadway East and Oliver neighborhoods in the East North Avenue Corridor of Baltimore City. 

A four-story masonry building encompassing approximately 125,000 square feet, 1701 East North Avenue is an example of one of the first school buildings constructed under the new progressive educational system in Baltimore; originally built in 1905 as Eastern High School.  The building continued to house the school until it moved to a larger structure in 1950 and was then reopened as Gompers Vocational School.  In 1981, the building was again abandoned until it was opened as a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) backed affordable housing apartment complex.  HUD foreclosed on the property in 1997, and subsequently, conveyed the property to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore with the restriction that reuse of the property be for non-housing purposes and that any reuse result in historic preservation of the structure.  The property has been largely vacant since 1997.

Located in the City’s Enterprise Zone and the Broadway East Urban Renewal Area, 1701 East North Avenue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

BDC is seeking proposals from qualified developers or interested parties, in accordance with the following City goals and objectives:

1.  To solicit a developer who will purchase and redevelop the property as a commercial, office,

     educational, institutional or other suitable use as approved by BDC.  Due to an existing use

     restriction, the property cannot be used for rental or cooperative housing or for any other

     residential use.

2.  The project should be respectful of, and capitalize on, the building’s rich history, and

     redevelopment must result in historic preservation of the structure.

3.  The project should be compatible with the neighborhood and adjacent properties.

4.  The project should achieve the highest quality of architectural/interior design and

     construction.  The architect for the project should be identified in the proposal’s submission

     and should have demonstrated design excellence relevant to the rehabilitation of historic

     properties.

To obtain further information regarding this offering, contact Kim Clark, BDC Executive Vice President, at 410-837-9305.  The RFP can be downloaded from BDC’s website at www.baltimoredevelopment.com.

Deadline for submission of proposals, accompanied by a $400.00 non-refundable check, is

4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 16, 2011.

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