Baltimore's Morris A. Mechanic Theatre has been closed for four years, but it's still a source of high drama for those curious about what will happen to the key downtown property.
A year after Baltimore's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation recommended that the dormant theater at 1 W. Baltimore St. be added to the city's landmark list as a way to protect it from demolition, the building's owners have come up with a redevelopment plan that would keep it standing, although not as a theater.
But the owners are having difficulty getting their plans through the city's design review process. The preservation commissioners argue that their panel should see the latest plans before they go to another public body that was scheduled to discuss the project this week.
Preservationists say they are concerned because Douglas McCoach, who recently resigned as planning director, took the position that the 1967 theater should not be added to the city's landmark list, even though the preservation commission operates within the Planning Department and its members voted unanimously that the theater meets the city's criteria for landmark designation.
The planning director has never before declined to support the preservation commission's recommendations for landmark designation since the commission came under the purview of the Planning Department two years ago.
McCoach's sudden resignation in July further complicated the process, since he had taken the lead in pushing for a design solution that would satisfy both the preservationists and downtown business leaders who want to see the theater property redeveloped. McCoach has said he resigned to pursue opportunities in the private sector and intends to leave office in mid-August.
Also last month, city officials announced that they want to replace Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena with a larger arena costing up to $300 million. Because the Mechanic is fewer than two blocks from the arena, that decision potentially makes the theater more valuable as a redevelopment site.
In the meantime, the theater's original architect, John Johansen, now 92 and largely retired in upstate New York, has developed his own conceptual plan for an addition. He says he believes it is possible to introduce new uses to the property without destroying the integrity of the structure but would like to be consulted about how that's done.
