Centre Theater Redevelopment

The historic Centre Theatre at 10 East North Avenue has been redeveloped into a mixed-use commercial space. A key addition to the Station North Arts & Entertainment district, the flexible building design accommodates a variety of tenants, including a new Film Center for the Maryland Institute College of Art and Johns Hopkins University.

The historic building was constructed in 1913 as a two-story automobile dealership and was converted into a theater and radio studio in the 1930’s. It opened its doors as the Centre Theater in 1939, welcoming guests into a 1,000-seat auditorium. The building was also home to the WFBR-AM radio station. The building was adapted into a bank after the theater’s closure in 1959. In its last transformation for use as a church and offices, the theater interior was removed and filled in by three new structural floors, accompanied by new stairs and elevators. When developers acquired the building in 2013, the building had been abandoned for over twenty years, and was in a state of disrepair.

Client

Jubilee Baltimore

Location

Baltimore, MD

Size

73,000 sf

Completed

2015

The project was awarded $3 million in Maryland Sustainable Communities Tax Credits as a result of the goal to restore the building envelope and structure per State and Federal historic preservation guidelines and meet Baltimore City Green Building Standards. The two outward facing facades on North Avenue and 20th Street have been restored, as well as the original theater marquee. New windows and roofs are installed alongside energy-efficient building envelope improvements. A new building core with stairs and elevators creates efficient and flexible tenant space.

Programming for the 73,000-square foot, building includes spaces for film production and screenings, artists’ studios, galleries, and offices.

Design Team

Steve Ziger

Jonathan Lessem

Katherine LePage

Michael Westrate

Consultants

Mechanical / Electrical Engineer – James Posey Associates

Structural Engineer – Silman

Civil Engineer – STV Group

Environmental Engineer – Urban Green Environmental

Environmental Consultant – Green Street Environmental

Architectural Consultant – Betty Bird & Associates

Graphic Design – Ashton Design

Acoustician & AV Consultant – Convergent Technologies Design Group

Photography

Karl Connolly

Awards

2017 Public Project of the Year – AIA Maryland
2017 Citation Award – AIA Maryland
2016 Honorable Mention – AIA Baltimore
2016 Maryland Sustainable Growth Award for Smart Growth – Maryland Department of Planning
2016 Historic Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse & Compatible Design – Baltimore Heritage
2016 Excellence in Commercial Rehabilitation – Maryland Historical Trust