Facade

The facade stays.By unanimous vote last night, the Historic Preservation Commission denied an application to demolish a brick facade left standing two months ago after a five-alarm fire destroyed a 98-year-old building on Main Street in Annapolis.The five commissioners also said that building owner Ronald B. Hollander must return in six months with another application for demolition -- and this time he must submit building plans incorporating the existing facade into the new structure."I'm concerned and I'm upset," said Hollander as he left the City Hall council chambers.

THIS WEEK'S demolition of a fire-ravaged facade that has been an eyesore in downtown Annapolis for nine months was inevitable.The fire that engulfed 184-186 Main St. the night of Dec. 9, 1997 severely damaged the integrity of the remaining structure, but few were willing to accept that reality.The owner of the building, Ronald B. Hollander, had three structural engineers examine the wall and bricks in it days after the blaze.The trio reached the same finding: The wall was structurally unsound.

COMPARING THE BURNT facade at 184-186 Main St. in Annapolis to a Van Gogh is a stretch. Yet the thinking behind this analogy seemed to prevail last week when the Historic Preservation Commission in the state capital decided unanimously to deny a demolition permit to the owner of that property."

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore Development Corp. have selected the Maryland Film Festival's proposal for the renovation of the historic Parkway Theatre at 3 W. North Ave., according to an official who spoke Thursday morning at the BDC's monthly board meeting. The city hopes to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Film Festival shortly, said Darrell Doan, a BDC staffer who manages the corporation's real estate transactions. The Film Festival is partnering with the Maryland Institute College of Art and Johns Hopkins University on their proposal for the Parkway.

An Anne Arundel County judge this week threw out a $40,000 claim against Annapolis and the Historic Annapolis Foundation by the owner of a burned building in the city's historic district.The ruling does not stop Ronald B. Hollander from filing his claim in a new lawsuit, however.184-186 Main St.Hollander owns 184-186 Main St., a building reduced to rubble and a facade in a December 1997 blaze. The Historic Annapolis Foundation sought an injunction to bar Hollander from razing the facade, and that touched off an argument that shows no sign of ending.

Peltz increases ownership in Legg Mason to 4.75 percent Activist investor Nelson Peltz has increased his ownership stake in Baltimore money manager Legg Mason Inc., according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing this week. Peltz, who joined the company's board this fall after acquiring 4.3 percent of the company's stock, bought an additional 717,000 shares this week. That increases his holdings to just under 7.7 million shares, or 4.75 percent of the company. Peltz is known for targeting good but underperforming brands, but Legg Mason said he is not trying to push for the company's sale or breakup.

For five years, the muddy, litter-strewn vacant lot among the shops of Main Street has detracted from the otherwise picturesque view of Annapolis' downtown. Filled with debris -- piles of bricks, crumpled concrete and steel -- and lined with a stockade fence, the lot where two buildings burned in December 1997 is viewed as such a blight that it is called "the hole." But this week, the owner is taking the first steps toward cleaning up the site at 184-186 Main St. Under pressure from city officials, Ronald B. Hollander is expected to rid the lot of junk and litter, fill the hole with topsoil, scatter grass and wildflower seeds and replace the fence -- which is pumpkin orange on the State House side -- in time for Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s inauguration as governor next month.

Japanese Storm King, meet American Fitness Trainer. That's his foot resting on your Yoda-like nose. Hellenistic Head of a Girl, say hello to rock climber Kalvin Evans, and forgive him for sprinkling chalk dust in your hair. Art met athleticism on the concrete facade of the Walters Art Museum yesterday as Evans, a former Air Force sergeant from Columbia, climbed the stark gray wall facing Cathedral Street with four tiny video cameras strapped to his forearms and calves. Evans chose his handholds and footholds from among 252 bright orange resin-cast replicas of art objects, bolted in erratic rows across the facade.

For five years, the muddy, litter-strewn vacant lot among the shops of Main Street has detracted from the otherwise picturesque view of Annapolis' downtown. Filled with debris - piles of bricks, crumpled concrete and steel - and lined with a stockade fence, the lot where two buildings burned in December 1997 is viewed as such a blight that it's called "the hole." But this week, the owner is taking the first steps toward cleaning up the site at 184-186 Main St. Under pressure from city officials, Ronald B. Hollander is expected to rid the lot of junk and litter, fill the hole with top soil, scatter grass and wildflower seeds, and replace the fence - which is pumpkin orange on the State House side - in time for Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s inauguration as governor next month.

EMPTY. VACANT. VOID. Those descriptions fit 184-186 Main Street in Annapolis, which housed a commercial building in the city's proud historic district until a five-alarm fire destroyed the century-old structure three years ago. Empty, vacant and void also could describe the bag of ideas that Mayor Dean L. Johnson has brought to the table to fill the space and build something worthwhile on that important site. The void is becoming symbolic of Mayor Johnson's tenure. Many Annapolis residents, including former supporters, believe he's a man of great intention but little result.