Harbor Development

Twice in the last century, downtown Baltimore was rebuilt: out of the embers of 1904, and out of the demolition of 1954-1999. Which was the bigger event? The fire covered 140 acres, Marion E. Warren and Michael P. McCarthy point out in The Living City: Baltimore's Charles Center and Inner Harbor Development (Maryland Historical Society, 110 pages, $35 oversize), but the latter exceeded 150. And the first time, our rebuilders mostly copied what used to be, while CC-IH is one different kettle of (National Aquarium?

OXON HILL - As bulldozers clear trees along the Potomac River to prepare for a $1.5 billion commercial hotel and entertainment complex known as National Harbor, some nearby residents are calling it a "stealth project" tied to future casino gambling. The developers and the project's first major tenant insist that isn't the case, but some residents who are opposed to the project because of its impact on their neighborhoods argue that gambling is the only logical explanation for the huge investment there.

Baltimore businessman Edwin F. Hale Sr. has been called a visionary because he staked out a section of the Canton waterfront long before the area took off as the city's "Gold Coast," but he insists that's not the case. "I just thought it had a great view of Fort McHenry," he says. Visionary or not, Hale is now in a position to change the very nature of Baltimore's harbor with a $95 million development that would move the line separating the old working waterfront of Blue-Collar Baltimore from the new gentrified waterfront of White-Collar Baltimore.

The tall ships are gone, but a two-story party yacht is set to tie up at the Inner Harbor -- an attraction that tourism officials hope will draw visitors to the east side of Baltimore's waterfront and help the rebound of the Harbor Inn Pier 5 Hotel. The Pintail Lady, a plush, 91-foot yacht with a 145-person capacity, is expected to relocate this weekend from its mooring on the Eastern Shore to its new home alongside the Pier 5 Hotel. "It helps us ... make a further bridge to the neighborhoods and close that gap between downtown and Fells Point and Little Italy," said Dan Lincoln, vice president of tourism and communications for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association.

An architect by training, Edward V. Giannasca II knows a good-looking hotel on paper. But local observers are watching to see if the just-named head of a company seeking to build a $100 million luxury hotel complex on Baltimore's Inner Harbor knows how to make it real. Those working on and watching the proposed Ritz-Carlton said they're encouraged by the 38-year-old Giannasca, who's been helping develop the HarborView residential community, next to the proposed Ritz-Carlton hotel site, for more than a decade.

Mayor Martin O'Malley will be host to a summit with Internet company owners and university officials today to explore how to attract high-tech companies, turning the Inner Harbor into a "Digital Harbor." "In six months, when people think about the high-tech industry, we hope they'll think about Silicon Valley [near San Francisco], Silicon Alley [in Manhattan] and Baltimore's Digital Harbor," said the city's deputy mayor for economic development, Laurie Schwartz. The meeting is one of several efforts the city is making this week to boost its first new major industry along the waterfront since the construction of Harborplace sparked tourism in the 1980s.

After a two-year search, developer Patrick Turner has found a prominent harbor setting for his proposed disaster-theme restaurant, Crash Cafe.Turner notified South Baltimore community leaders last week that he has agreed to buy the lease, liquor license and equipment of the defunct Globe Brewing Co. at 1321 Key Highway for $600,000. Although neighbors worry about parking and tastefulness, Turner plans to open the new cafe -- highlighted by an airplane piercing the front wall -- by summer.

Caught in a vise of continuing financial turmoil, the Dallas real estate firm working to develop the $134 million Wyndham Inner Harbor East hotel said yesterday that it has retained a New York investment bank to formulate a financial rescue of the company.Patriot American Hospitality Inc. hired Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. for advice on repaying $1.72 billion in debt. The move follows an ownership restructuring of the planned 31-story Wyndham.Under a new ownership deal, John Paterakis Sr.'s H&S Properties Development Inc. and Stormont Trice Development Inc. of Atlanta will hold a larger stake in the 750-room Wyndham, the result of Patriot American's financial troubles.

THE DEVELOPMENT of the Inner Harbor has accelerated and is moving at a feverish pitch. Which makes this a good time to take a breath and consider that not all of the Inner Harbor's enterprises have been successful.Remember the Nobska? It was heralded as the Inner Harbor's first floating restaurant. The former three-deck, New England excursion boat, which was moored near the Maryland Science Center, opened in April 1976 on a high note. Some 300 luminaries attended, toasting the beginning of a new era. Waiters in tuxedos circled with champagne and fancy foods.

KURT L. SCHMOKE is mayor of Baltimore.The Inner Harbor is the center jewel in the crown for Baltimore. It needs to remain a world-class center by continuing to be a high quality, public waterfront. It is and will remain a place for a diverse selection of family entertainment, including the National Aquarium, the Science Center, restaurants and boating activities.We will work to continue to maintain this mixture and to keep the area fresh and vibrant. Stores and activities will change periodically, but we will maintain our commitment to the space as an inviting center of family-oriented activity.