Mechanic

WASHINGTON -- There's a story about a man who brought his car to the mechanic to have the air conditioning worked on. The mechanic told him to leave it with him and he'd take care of it.A few days later the man came back and the mechanic happily reported that he had put in a new high performance engine and four new tires. The man was presented with a bill of $5,000 for his redone car. He then asked if the mechanic had fixed the air conditioning, which is what he wanted in the first place.

"A Mechanic for the Millennium" was the title given Clarisse Mechanic at a gala given in her honor by Florence Crittenton Services of Baltimore Inc. Some 160 guests congregated at Martin's West to pay tribute to the Baltimore philanthropist and to contribute more than $15,000 for Crittenton's outreach services for abused teens.Among those in the assemblage: Anne Davis, Crittenton Services' executive director; Brian Wallace, board president; J. C. Shay, Ann Costlow, Dr. Guy Bragg and James Bond, board members; Joe Mason, event chair; Trena Taylor Brown, general manager at AT&T; Judge Mary Welcome of the Maryland Tax Court; Gerard Brice, president of D & G Brice Contractors Inc.; and Kip Mandris, owner of the Brass Monkey bar.

"More and longer" is the keynote of the Mechanic Theatre's 1999-2000 season. For the first time in almost a decade, the season will include seven shows instead of six. And, after two seasons of mostly one-week engagements, more than half the shows in the new series will run two weeks or more."It's been kind of a slow process. It seems like there's a lot more confidence in the shows again. We're getting the sizzle back in our season," said Michael J. Brand, executive director of Jujamcyn Productions, which books and manages the Mechanic.

DREAMGIRLS," ONE OF the biggest Broadway hits of the 1980s, has been re-created and is headed for Broadway. If you missed its week at the Mechanic Theatre, you might want to catch it at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where it will play for another three weeks.In Baltimore, members of the cast and crew were wined and dined after the opening-night show at a party at the Belvedere's 13th Floor. Even the star of the show, B.J. Crosby (Effie), was there. She came to "Dreamgirls" direct from the original Broadway company of "Smokey Joe's Cafe," for which she received a Tony nomination.

An immigrant from South Korea who is an air-conditioning mechanic and has been a U.S. citizen for a year has hit an $11.5 million Maryland Lotto jackpot, officials announced yesterday.Ikjae Ahn, a 39-year-old father of two, said he realized his ticket had the winning numbers -- 10-14-25-37-43-46 -- when he checked it Thursday night against numbers posted at the 7-Eleven store in the Montgomery County community of Derwood, where he bought the ticket about a week earlier.The winning number had been drawn June 6.Ahn, who lives in a townhouse in the Montgomery County community of Germantown, said last night, "I just didn't believe it."

LATELY, I'VE BEEN listening to some of Baltimore's leading citizens tout the idea of renovating Eutaw Street's Hippodrome Theatre as a home for big touring musicals -- the "Phantoms," "Ragtimes" and "Lion Kings."Almost in the same breath, these downtown boosters have been running down our current playhouse, the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre. Some suggested it would be demolished. After all, the former Hamburger building is now being razed at Charles and Fayette.While standing in that dank and potentially glorious Hippodrome auditorium -- even with its ruined plaster and peeling paint it's a knockout -- I got a different kind of wintertime chill.

A new, pre-Broadway national tour of "Evita" will replace the previously announced production of "Show Boat" at the Mechanic Theatre next month. "Show Boat" ran into troubled waters when its producer, Livent Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection two weeks ago. The "Show Boat" tour was canceled yesterday, and the Mechanic moved swiftly to replace it."Although we are very sorry and disappointed that 'Show Boat' ran into difficulties on its United States tour, we are very excited about the opportunity to have this all-new production of 'Evita,' " said Michael J. Brand, executive director of Jujamcyn Productions, which books and manages the Mechanic.

With only 1,607 seats and structural limitations that prohibit the installation of the large-scale scenery used by mega-musicals, the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre has missed out on a number of big Broadway hits. These same shows could find a comfortable and potentially profitable home in the proposed renovation of the 2,250-seat Hippodrome.Even the Lyric Opera House, which also presents national touring productions and has a capacity of 2,522, lacks the technical capability to handle some of the large, special-effects-laden touring shows that have proliferated in the past decade.

Charles "Roy" Hare was not a man of single interests.He was a businessman who had several successful enterprises in Northeast Baltimore. He was an inventor who created a pay phone, car-dent fixer and remote-controlled lawn mower that resembled a Jeep. He was an animal lover whose pet pig lived in an apartment next to his.Mr. Hare, 82, a lifelong Baltimore resident who died Monday of heart failure at Good Samaritan Hospital, was known throughout the Hamilton community for his magnetic, but slightly unconventional, personality.

Vincent L. Schwing, founder of one of the city's oldest automobile dealership and the holder of several racing boat world speed records, died Thursday of Alzheimer's disease at the Keswick Multi-Care Center.He was 91 and was a former Mayfield resident.A self-taught auto mechanic, Mr. Schwing decided during the Great Depression to establish an automobile dealership with his wife, the former Louisa Storath. In 1930, they opened Schwing Motor Co. Inc. in Roland Park and began selling Fords from a showroom in the 3300 block of Keswick Road.

George Dayton Dodge, a mechanic and former fleet manager for the H&S Baking Co. who earned two Silver Stars in combat during the Korean War, died of cancer May 22 at a daughter's Dundalk home. He was 80. Mr. Dodge was born in Terra Alta, W.Va., and raised in Oakland, Garrett County. He enlisted in the Army in 1946, and served from 1950 to 1951 as a staff sergeant with the 195th Ordnance Depot Company near Korea's 38th Parallel, where he experienced fierce enemy action. "I was in two active fire fights.

Guy calls up a mechanic, says he has a '91 Volvo with torn-up brakes. No way he wants to buy another car, new or used. Not in this mess of an economy. Can it be fixed? Veteran mechanic Richard Linder has been hearing this a lot lately. This particular call comes into Linder Automotive's grime-tinged Waverly garage early Monday morning. "I hear you - cheaper than a new one," Linder tells the caller, who was referred by a friend. They agree that Linder will take a look. The recession has been kind to Linder and car doctors around the region.

The Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, which has drawn praise as one of downtown Baltimore's most significant works of 20th-century architecture, is known as a symbol of urban renewal and for the way its highly sculpted exterior reflected the spaces inside. The 1967 building at Baltimore and Charles streets has also been criticized as a less-than-stellar example of urban design, for "turning its back" on Charles Street and presenting a fortresslike shell when not in use. For city leaders seeking to revitalize the dormant property, the conflicting images pose a design challenge: Can the owners retain the building in a way that will please preservationists while adding uses that correct its urbanistic shortcomings?

Landmark status will protect theater The controversy over the future of the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre continues, and tomorrow, the Planning Commission will decide whether to support a landmark designation for the Mechanic. In its recent editorial "Landmark in all but name" (Aug. 17), The Baltimore Sun was correct in stating that the theater "qualifies as a genuine architectural landmark" but wrong in recommending against a formal landmark designation. On Aug. 14, 2007, the city's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP)

Fast forward 50 years, to 2058. The Baltimore region's population has doubled, and the port is booming in the post-petroleum era. Mass transit has finally taken hold, and the city's population is over 1 million. In the surrounding counties, most houses, 50 to 60 years old, with vinyl siding and vinyl windows, are looking shabby. In contrast, most city neighborhoods have become historic districts, especially those from the 1920s through 1950s - totally rehabbed and looking great. At a neighborhood school, a teacher explains that Baltimore was not always this way. The economy thrived in the 1950s, but by the 1960s many businesses and residents were fleeing to the suburbs.

It's certainly not to everyone's taste, but there's no doubt the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre at Baltimore and Charles streets qualifies as a genuine architectural landmark. Built in 1967 in a Brutalist style, it's neither sleek nor inviting by today's standards. Yet it commemorates an important chapter in Baltimore history that ought to be preserved. The question is how, and preservationists, city planning officials and the property's developers seem unable to agree on that. The city's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation wants landmark status for the building to protect it from demolition.

Francis Joseph Chmilewski, a retired Domino Sugars Co. mechanic and veteran of two branches of the military, died of lung cancer July 13 at Mercy Medical Center. The Edgemere resident was 76. Mr. Chmilewski was born and raised in Baltimore and attended city public schools. He later earned his General Educational Development diploma while serving in the Army. "He lied about his age when he enlisted in the Navy, where he served for four years," said the former May Birkelien, his wife of 11 years.

Herbert W. Ambrose, a retired auto mechanic, musician and powerboat racing enthusiast, died of cancer Wednesday at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. The Northwood resident was 65. Born in Baltimore and raised in Gardenville, he was a 1962 Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School graduate. As a young man, he worked as an automobile mechanic before joining the Army and being stationed in Germany and at Aberdeen Proving Ground. He completed his military service in 1970 as an ordnance specialist.

David Allender Bowerman, a popular mechanic and longtime owner of Ruxton Service Center, who repaired cars, plowed driveways and assisted stranded motorists for more than 50 years, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, Jan. 6 at his Lutherville home. He was 73. Mr. Bowerman was born in Baltimore and raised on Labelle Avenue in Ruxton. He was a 1952 graduate of Towson High School, where he studied auto mechanics. "From his earliest days, his passion for cars was all-consuming, and when he was a youngster, he dismantled and reassembled his go-cart," said a son, Mark E. Bowerman of Philadelphia.

Ian Andrew Baggett Jr., a mechanic and Marine Corps reservist, died Saturday at Northwest Hospital Center after being injured in a motorcycle accident near Liberty Reservoir. The Sykesville resident had recently celebrated his 24th birthday. Mr. Baggett was riding his 1993 Harley-Davidson when he collided head-on with a pickup truck that had failed to yield the right of way at Liberty Road and Oakland Mills Road, Maryland State Police said yesterday. Mr. Baggett was taken to the Randallstown hospital, where he was pronounced dead.