AIA Maryland Design Awards 2024

Baltimore Unity Hall is the recipient of a 2024 Design Excellence Award from AIA Maryland in the Commercial Architecture category.

The program recognizes outstanding architectural work by AIA Maryland members and members practicing in Maryland. The awards celebrate design excellence, sustainability, and contributions to the public realm.

The Unity Hall project transforms a long-vacant 1960s union hall into a 30,000-square-foot center for community arts, education, and workforce development. Located on Eutaw Place in Baltimore’s Bolton Hill neighborhood, Unity Hall was designed through extensive community engagement to serve as a shared civic resource for surrounding communities. The renovation features office space for nonprofit organizations, co-working areas, artist studios, and shared amenities, including a break room, lounge, wellness room, and conference space. A new commercial kitchen and training rooms on the lower level support job-readiness programming, while flexible gathering spaces and a community theater host events, exhibitions, and performances. The restored façade features new windows and sunshading elements that introduce light into the building, reflecting a sense of transparency and welcome. Situated along a corridor that has historically divided neighborhoods, today, the building provides a vital platform for creativity, connection, and opportunity.