As part of an effort to revitalize the 100-acre arts and entertainment district north of Pennsylvania Station, the city of Baltimore is seeking a developer to renovate the historic Parkway Theatre and two adjoining properties as a venue for "cabaret, film, live music and live performance."
The Baltimore Development Corp. has set noon Aug. 7 as the deadline for proposals from groups interested in recycling the dormant theater at 3 W. North Ave., as well as buildings at 1 W. North Ave. and 1820 N. Charles St.
An entrepreneur, Charles Dodson, began renovating the theater several years ago but never completed the project. The city now controls the three buildings, although it hasn't finished acquiring all of them. The development corporation is requiring that the theater and the Charles Street building be "retained" as part of any revitalization plan.
The properties up for bid occupy the southwest corner of Charles Street and North Avenue, a major intersection within the Charles North revitalization district. City officials unveiled a "vision plan" last year that lays out a strategy for investing up to $1 billion to reinvigorate the area and identifies the Parkway as a key property for arts-oriented renovation.
Kim Clark, executive vice president of the development agency, said city officials are looking for proposals for combining the three properties into one project that is consistent with the city's plans for the surrounding area. "We would like it to be a performance venue," she said of the Parkway. "That's what's called for in the vision plan."
With 1,100 seats, the Parkway was built in 1915 as a vaudeville house but has primarily been used to show motion pictures. It was acquired in 1926 by the Loews organization and extensively remodeled. In 1956, it was renamed the Five West Art Theater and continued to show movies until it closed in the mid-1970s.
In the early 1990s, part of it was used as commercial space. It has been largely dormant for more than a decade.
Clark said her agency is discouraging proposals that rely heavily on public financial support. The entire request for proposals is available at www.baltimoredevelopment.com.
