Upton Mansion Breaks Ground

On February 28, 2025, Afro Charities and community partners celebrated a milestone in Baltimore’s cultural legacy: the official groundbreaking of the $16 million Upton Mansion redevelopment project. 

For nearly two decades, this landmark at 811 W. Lanvale Street sat vacant. Built in 1838, the mansion served as a private residence, Maryland’s first radio station, a musical arts institute, and a school before closing its doors in 2006.

The revitalization will transform the historic mansion into the permanent home of Afro Charities and the AFRO American Newspapers Archives—a collection of more than three million photographs, rare audio recordings, and thousands of newspaper editions documenting Black life in America.

Ziger|Snead Architects is leading the restoration in coordination with Cross Street Partners and Commercial Construction as general contractor. The project includes restoring the mansion and carriage house, adding a modern annex, and making the site ADA accessible for the first time. Future programming will include a gallery, museum-quality archives labs, a podcast suite, classrooms, and community event spaces—positioning the site as an international destination for historic interpretation and public engagement.

Completion is expected by summer 2026. Once tax-credit compliance concludes, Afro Charities will own the building debt-free, ensuring long-term sustainability.

We’re honored to support this effort to reclaim Black history and reinvigorate West Baltimore. The Upton Mansion redevelopment exemplifies architecture as civic process—anchoring memory, nurturing culture, and helping communities envision a resilient, inclusive future.