BALTIMORE — Book it! The Johnston Square neighborhood is getting revitalized. An empty site which was once vacant is getting rebooted. The area in east Baltimore is getting a new library and new apartments. The end result is to make this space a home for education and culture.
A groundbreaking event for the new Enoch Pratt branch and Greenmount Park Apartments turned the first page for the building projects Tuesday afternoon.
"This is more than just a groundbreaking; it is a testament to the power of community-driven development," said Sean Closkey, President of ReBUILD Metro.
“In most cases, great buildings like this are created without addressing the surrounding area, but this building is a cornerstone of a larger community reinvestment that is restoring over 300 vacant and at-risk properties into new homes and community assets. Residents will benefit whether they live in this building or across the street from it.”’
It was a total family affair. Along with representatives from ReBUILD Metro, Mayor Brandon Scott, MD Housing Secretary Jake Day, Senator Cory McCray, Somerset Development, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Rebuild Johnston Square Neighborhood Organization were all on site to celebrate the occasion.
The project was backed by a big team, including Capital One, Boston Financial, Chase Bank, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs.
For more information on this project, click here.
