GLEN ARM, Md. — A historic Baltimore County train station will soon become a coffee shop, thanks to a significant state tax credit.
The Glen Arm Station was built around 1909, on a curve in the road on Glen Arm at Hooper Lane that has several historic structures. The station was known as the "Ma and Pa Whistle Stop," and was part of the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad.
Last year, the building received $182,464 in historic-revitalization tax credits from the State of Maryland to turn the small station into a coffee shop and "community anchor to the Long Green Valley."
A sign is now up on the building, announcing it will become "The Roast" cafe. It's being restored by Brennan + Company Architects, which is based in Baltimore County's historic Oella community.
Owner Michael Clark, who also owns a nearby industrial property, said he expects the coffee shop to open in early 2024. Construction on the building should be done by the end of this year.
He said he's still working on the menu, but it won't be large. Renderings show a counter with barstools in the former freight room, and curved food display cases in the former waiting room.
He is also renovating the outdoor area and will provide some seating.
Clark calls the area the "hole in the doughnut," since there's not many food options in the Long Green Valley/Glen Arm area. He hopes the coffee shop can help fill that void.
