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Harborplace
Defunct festival marketplace in Baltimore, Maryland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Harborplace is a shopping and dining complex on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. It consists of three malls; the Pratt Street Pavilion, the Light Street Pavilion, and The Gallery at Harborplace (now closed), all of which were developed by The Rouse Company and opened in the 1980s. Other adjacent structures include an office tower on 111 S. Calvert Street known as Harborplace Tower, and the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, both adjacent to the defunct Gallery mall. However, the pavilions are scheduled for demolition and redevelopment, which is expected to begin in the fall of 2026.
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The Gallery at Harborplace
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History
The Gallery at Harborplace was a four-story, glass-enclosed shopping mall that was also built by The Rouse Company and opened in September 1987. It is currently owned and managed by Brookfield Properties.[7] Unlike the pavilions, The Gallery at Harborplace was a four-story mall and is adjacent the 111 S. Calvert Street office tower and the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Because of its large size, The Gallery is the largest of the three malls in the complex. It included tenants such as Forever 21, Starbucks, Gap & Gap Kids, and Bath & Body Works. Due to its vertical exterior design, the mall is without traditional anchor tenants many malls had at the time such as Sears, Macy's, and JCPenney. The mall is connected to the Pratt Street Pavilion via a skywalk that has been closed since the 2000s, which later became a permanent closure in 2022 after the mall itself was closed. The Pratt Street Pavilion remained open, but the door that leads to the skywalk is blocked off.
2001 renovation
In the early 2000s, The Rouse Company announced a renovation for the Gallery to modernize it. This included replacing the grand central staircases with escalators, and adding exterior entrances to ground-floor stores. The renovation required the closure of the skywalk connecting the mall to the Pratt Street Pavilion. The renovation was completed in 2001. The mall has not been updated since then.[8]
Fifth floor
From the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel on the fifth floor, the Gallery was visible through the windows, but the fifth floor was integrated into the mall itself and has been restricted from access from the mall itself ever since the hotel opened.
Decline and closure
Like the pavilions, The Gallery at Harborplace has also faced significant decline for many of the same reasons as the pavilions, but it faced its own issues. The mall was not managed by Ashkenazy Acquisitions in the 2010s. The mall remained in ownership of General Growth Properties until 2018 when Brookfield Properties acquired it and Rouse Properties. While it was not managed by Ashkenazy, which neglected the pavilions, this mall had its own issues and even a permanent closure in 2022. Firstly, the mall has not been updated since a renovation in 2001. Without any up-to-date renovations, the mall faced strong competition with many other malls in Maryland, like Towson Town Center, White Marsh Mall, The Mall in Columbia, and Arundel Mills. By the 2010s, just like the pavilions, tenants began to close. In January 2015, Wet Seal closed its Gallery at Harborplace location because the company was in the process of liquidating all its stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Its closure was not related to the problems with Harborplace, but it was another tenant that closed its doors in the area, leading to an empty spot.[9] In March 2016, Brooks Brothers closed its Gallery at Harborplace location because the company announced that it was relocating to a new location in Harbor East.[10] In 2020, Johnston & Murphy closed its Gallery at Harborplace location, along with a sports bar on the first floor.[11]
The mall's food court on the fourth floor was converted into an office area called Spaces in 2016, which led to an exodus of multiple food tenants, which included McDonald’s and some other restaurants. Once the conversion was finished, the fourth floor was closed from the public.[12]
The mall's decline was significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which also increased the rise of e-commerce. In late 2021, Brookfield Properties began ceasing operations of the mall by telling the remaining tenants that they have to vacate the mall by the end of the year. Before 2021, the mall was already losing tenants. This included Forever 21, GNC, Gap & Gap Kids, Starbucks, The Children's Place, and Bath & Body Works.
By January 2022, the mall had no tenants, and was later permanently closed. While the adjacent structures being the 111 S. Calvert Street office tower and Renaissance Hotel remain open, their entrances to The Gallery are blocked off.
Future redevelopment
In 2023, Brookfield Properties painted a mural titled "Our Baltimore" over the windows and entrance to the former Gallery to cover up the interior of the defunct mall from public view, and to revitalize the surrounding area.[13] Brookfield Properties has stated that they will reevaluate options for The Gallery, but unlike the pavilions, which will be demolished and replaced with mixed-use buildings, The Gallery has remained vacant and shuttered from the public with no plans for redevelopment or any form of revitalization as of 2025.
Demolition of The Gallery would be challenging due to its connection to the 111 S. Calvert Street office tower and the Renaissance hotel.
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Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel
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The Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel is adjacent to The Gallery at Harborplace and the 111 S. Calvert Street office tower. Unlike The Gallery and the 111. S Calvert Street office tower, which are both managed and owned by Brookfield Properties, the hotel, while adjacent, has separate ownership and is currently owned and managed by The Buccini/Pollin Group (BPG) and PM Hotel Group, respectively.
The hotel has undergone several renovations. One of which include a $4.5 million renovation in 2016 which updated meeting, dining, and event spaces.[15]Another includes a multi-million dollar renovation on the hotel's guest rooms, which occurred in 2019.[16]
The hotel includes an indoor pool, a gym, and dining (Watertable and Starbucks). Some rooms even have harbor views and coffee makers.[17]
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Harborplace Tower
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111 S. Calvert Street, also referred to as the Harborplace Tower or the Gallery at Harborplace office building, is an office tower adjacent to both The Gallery and the Renaissance Hotel. Its current tenants include Lupin Pharmaceuticals, whose name was on the building,[18] but was removed in 2025. More current tenants include Brookfield Renewables, Wells Fargo Bank, Cigna Health, Northwestern Mutual, SIA Solutions, and Ballard Spahr LLP. Its former tenants include BB&T.
The tower undergone a $12 million renovation in 2022, which involved upgrades to the lobby, a new fitness center, "Move-in ready" suites, which was planned by Brookfield Properties and completed in 2022 by Rand Construction Corporation.[19]
Description
The property consists of two pavilions, each two stories in height; one along Pratt Street, the other on Light Street. There was also a mall adjacent to the Pratt Street Pavilion called The Gallery at Harborplace. The pavilions housed a range of stores and restaurants, some of which once sold merchandise specific to Baltimore or the state of Maryland, such as blue crab food products, Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens merchandise, Edgar Allan Poe products, and University of Maryland Terrapins clothing.
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History
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Harborplace was designed by Benjamin C. Thompson and was built by The Rouse Company near the former Light Street site of the Baltimore Steam Packet Company's steamship terminal and docks. Thompson also designed a series of other festival marketplaces built by Rouse, such as Bayside Marketplace, Jacksonville Landing, and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Thompson was also a co-architect for The Gallery at Harborplace, along with RTKL Associates, who also designed the sugar cube light fixtures for the Harborplace promenade. Because the land was owned by the city and was in an area designated as a park in the city charter, a citywide referendum was required to proceed with the project, championed by then Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer.[20] The amendment "limited the size of any project there to the top of the U.S.S. Constellation docked in front of the Pratt Street Pavilion."[21]
Harborplace opened on July 2, 1980, as a centerpiece of the revival of downtown Baltimore.[22] The Baltimore "festival marketplaces" became an "architectural prototype, despite opening several years after Quincy Market," attracting both local residents and out-of-town visitors, and spawning a series of other similar projects: The Waterside in Norfolk, Virginia, Portside Marketplace in Toledo, Ohio, Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida, Bayside Marketplace in Miami, Florida, and even non-waterfront projects like Owings Mills Mall in Owings Mills, Maryland, The Gallery at Market East in Philadelphia, Washington's Pavilion at the Old Post Office, and Sixth Street Marketplace in Richmond, Virginia.[23]
Additionally, The Rouse Company built The Gallery at Harborplace connected to the Pratt Street Pavilion and opened in September 1987. This led with the Harborplace complex having three malls. The Renaissance Harborplace Hotel was built adjacent to The Gallery and the Harborplace Tower and opened in 1988. The development of the Gallery at Harborplace, the Harborplace Tower and the Renaissance Hotel also led to similar projects, such as Pioneer Place in Portland, Oregon, Westlake Center in Seattle, Washington, and Arizona Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
In January 1998, The Rouse Company allowed Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith to break ground for a Planet Hollywood restaurant in the Pratt Street Pavilion. It closed permanently in September 2001.[24] It was replaced with M&S Grill in October 2003, which closed permanently in October 2018.[25]
General Growth Properties (GGP) acquired Harborplace from the Rouse Company in 2004 as part its $12.6 billion acquisition of the company.[26]
On the weekend of July 1, 2005, Harborplace celebrated its 25th anniversary with a ceremony featuring Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Baltimore Mayor Martin J. O'Malley, and Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association (BACVA) president Leslie R. Doggett.[27]
Harborplace celebrated its 30th anniversary in July 2010.[28]
A Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium museum opened in the Light Street Pavilion on June 26, 2012,[29] and closed permanently in May 2020.[30]
In November 2012, the pavilions were sold to Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation for $100 million.[31] Renovations were announced in 2015[32] and ended in 2018, three years later than expected.[33]
On June 3, 2019, the Baltimore Business Journal reported that as of May 30, 2019, Harborplace was placed into court-ordered receivership and that Ashkenazy Acquisitions lost both management and ownership of Harborplace as a result. Deutsche Bank cited Ashkenazy's default on its loan, and a $1.13 million judgment against them from a lawsuit filed by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in 2016[34] for "failing to maintain in good order and repair" the common areas, and that "multiple vendors" had been unpaid for months. The BBJ reported that the Baltimore Circuit Court had appointed IVL Group, LLC of Montclair, NJ to manage, maintain, lease, provide security for Harborplace, the receivership order also authorizes IVL Group to seek a new buyer. The property was acquired by MCB Real Estate in 2022.[35]
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Decline and redevelopment
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The shift from local tenants to national tenants
The first national tenant to open in Harborplace was The Cheesecake Factory, which announced in 1995 that it was going to open in the Pratt Street Pavilion. The tenant had its grand opening in 1996.[36] In the 2000s and early 2010s, the original local tenants that occupied the pavilions since their grand opening in 1980 began to close. In this period, many of them were replaced with national tenants. In 2011, Phillips Seafood, the last original tenant in the pavilions, permanently closed their Harborplace location. The company announced that it was relocating to the former ESPN Zone space in the nearby Pratt Street Power Plant. The former Phillips Seafood space was replaced with a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant in 2012.[37] Additionally, in 2012, Ripley's Believe It or Not! took over a large portion of the Light Street Pavilion that once housed smaller local tenants on both floors. H&M has also taken over a large portion of the Light Street Pavilion that previously housed smaller local tenants on both floors. Consequently, when Ripley's and H&M closed in the 2020s, it left massive empty spaces in the Light Street Pavilion. Many tourists and locals described the new tenants as General Growth Properties turning Harborplace into a "generic tourist trap mall” that did not align with James Rouse's original vision for Harborplace. Anyone could find a Hooters, a Cheesecake Factory, or a Ripley's anywhere else in the country. Additionally, many tourists and locals complained about the new national tenants because they had higher prices than the original local tenants. They could no longer find a good meal in the pavilions that is under $25.[38]
Tenant exoduses and management problems
In the 2010s, tenants began to close in the pavilions again. The Fudgery closed its Harborplace location in 2018 due to underperformance. Other tenants like Five Guys, Tir Na Nog and Noodles & Co. also closed. While Five Guys is planning to return to the Inner Harbor in 2026, its new location is at the nearby Lockwood Place shopping center, not Harborplace.[39] The former Urban Outfitters space was replaced with Neighborhoods Urban Goods. By the late 2010s, the pavilions faced strong competition with other festival marketplaces or similar markets nearby, particularly the Broadway Market in Fells Point which had a massive renovation in 2019. Following the Bubba Gump lawsuit in 2016, the tenant, along with many others, complained of many maintenance issues that Ashkenazy largely ignored, which included worn-out floors, dirty bathrooms, malfunctioning or non-functional HVAC systems, a non-functional fire sprinkler system following a fire at Ripley's in April 2017, chipped or worn-out painting, defective and damaged doors and broken windows, poor or defective lighting, fire hazards from faulty electrical outlets and overloaded electrical systems, rodent infestations and leaking roofs. Tenants also complained that Ashkenazy did not provide adequate security for the pavilions. As a result, in 2019, after defaulting on a loan and failing to maintain the property, Ashkenazy was evicted from ownership and management of Harborplace, and the property was put on receivership with IVL Group LLC managing the property while also trying to find a new buyer.[40]
COVID-19 pandemic
By the 2020s, Harborplace's decline significantly exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also accelerated e-commerce. Many more tenants like Ripley's Believe It or Not! closed their doors in 2020. Shortly after Ripley's closed, the Light Street Pavilion's second floor was completely closed off because no tenants remained. The pandemic was known to be the "final blow" for Harborplace and the Gallery.
MCB Real Estate acquires Harborplace
In April 2022, the Baltimore development firm MCB Real Estate entered into an agreement to purchase Harborplace.[41] The deal was finalized by the Baltimore City Circuit Court in December 2022.[42]
More tenant exoduses
On February 10, 2022, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. closed their location in the Light Street Pavilion because the restaurant was shut down by the Baltimore City Health Department for major maintenance issues and failing to renew their food permit for the restaurant that has indoor and outdoor seating on the Harborplace promenade. Luke Kosters, an attorney and executive for Kelly Companies, which operated the Harborplace Bubba Gump, confirmed that the restaurant was closed permanently. He also cited that the major maintenance issues that caused their restaurant to shut down in the pavilion was a direct consequence of previous owner Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp.[43] H&M closed their location in the Light Street Pavilion in March 2022. As a result, the Light Street Pavilion only had two remaining tenants in March 2022 and was almost totally vacant.
In September 2022, UNO Pizzeria & Grill "temporarily" closed its location in the Pratt Street Pavilion, citing repairs, then never reopened. MCB Real Estate confirmed that the closure was permanent shortly thereafter. The restaurant moved its operations in Baltimore to the Shops at Canton Crossing, but that location also closed in August 2024. Additionally, the restaurant’s signage was removed.[44] After UNO Pizzeria & Grill closed, the Pratt Street Pavilion’s last major sit-down restaurant tenant was The Cheesecake Factory. The Pratt Street Pavilion had just three tenants in September 2022 and was also almost completely vacant.
By 2023, the pavilions had become "dead malls", with only a handful of tenants still open. Specifically, about four tenants were still open at this time, and more specifically, the Light Street Pavilion only had one tenant remaining. The Pratt Street Pavilion still had three tenants remaining. By April 2023, the Light Street Pavilion's only remaining tenant was Hooters. The entrances to the pavilion and even restrooms were blocked off, with signs redirecting people to enter Hooters through the anchor tenant's main entrance. The Pratt Street Pavilion was still open to the public, but its only major sit-down restaurant still open was The Cheesecake Factory. Other tenants included IT'SUGAR, and some small souvenir and jewelry stores. Everything else—ranging from small restaurants to national retailers—was closed.
Redevelopment
On October 30, 2023, MCB Real Estate announced a proposal to demolish both pavilions and replace them with a 32-story and a 25-story apartment building on Light St, and two commercial and retail buildings, and another retail building with an amphitheater on Pratt St. The Gallery at Harborplace, however, has remained closed and vacant since January 2022 with no plans for redevelopment, even though Brookfield Properties did state they are "re-evaluating many options for The Gallery."[21] To proceed, the project would require a charter amendment to allow residential development, rezoning changes, and an amendment to the city's urban renewal plan governing the Inner Harbor,[45] which was approved by Baltimore voters in 2024.[46]
The new 201 Pratt St building is planned to offer both retail and commercial space. It will house a marketplace on the first two floors, and its design was inspired by the water. It is colloquially called "The Sail". The 203 Pratt St building between the Sail and the World Trade Center will offer waterfront commercial space, and public space underneath a cantilevered second floor. The amphitheater will be known as "The Park at Freedom's Port" and will have ~2,000 seats, including an elevated space for dining and recreation. Underneath the dining space and amphitheater will be artistic and retail lining an eastward extension of Camden St towards the water. The 303 Light St apartment towers will offer multifamily residential on the upper floors, while the first two floors will involve retail, dining, and community space. MCB Real Estate plans to make Harborplace a 24/7 environment that is impossible to provide with two festival marketplace-only pavilions.[47]
Hooters lawsuit
In January 2024, Hooters sued both Ashkenazy and MCB Real Estate for failing to provide adequate security for the Light Street Pavilion following a break-in in September 2023. They also described the pavilion as "unkempt, dirty, and poorly maintained." When the tenant closed in June 2024, the Light Street Pavilion had become fully vacant.[48] However, in November 2024, MCB Real Estate countersued Hooters, citing that the tenant violated its lease by reducing hours before leaving.[49]
Temporary revitalization
In 2025, the pavilions were filled with temporary local tenants as part of MCB Real Estate's BOOST (Black Owned and Operated Storefront Tenancy) Program, which was to activate the waterfront area and prevent the area from becoming a "ghost town" while redevelopment plans are being finalized. The former Hooters space was replaced with a Supano's Sports Bar & Grill Steakhouse, which had its grand opening celebration on Friday, October 17, 2025.[50] The former H&M space was replaced with a Made in Baltimore holiday store, which had its grand opening in November 2023[51] and reopened in February 2024.[52] MCB Real Estate also plans to do some events at the pavilions before redevelopment, the first being a Holiday Makers Market event in December 2025 and another being a Sail250 celebration in July 2026.[53] MCB Real Estate has confirmed that the temporary local tenants are fully aware that the pavilions will be demolished. The BOOST tenants will be relocated during construction and will be offered to reopen in Harborplace once redevelopment is finished. The last remaining national tenant not part of the BOOST program being IT'SUGAR will likely also be relocated, but its future in Harborplace is uncertain as of 2025. The pavilions are expected to be permanently closed and begin demolition in the fall of 2026. Redevelopment is expected to be completed by the 2030s. The adjacent structures will remain open during this period except for the defunct Gallery mall, and the entrance to the skywalk connecting that mall to the Pratt Street Pavilion will be completely blocked off for construction.
Final tenant exoduses before demolition and redevelopment
On December 4, 2025, The Cheesecake Factory, which has been a tenant in Harborplace for nearly 30 years, announced that it was closing its Harborplace location on January 24, 2026, citing that after an "extensive review and analysis", The Cheesecake Factory made the "difficult decision to discontinue operation". This leaves the Pratt Street Pavilion with no more restaurant tenants because The Cheesecake Factory was the last major sit-down restaurant tenant available at Harborplace after Hooters closed. Additionally, its closure makes IT'SUGAR the last remaining national tenant in Harborplace.[54] All other remaining tenants, including the BOOST ones, are expected to permanently close by or before the fall of 2026 to allow for construction.
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Notable incidents
Ripley's Believe It or Not! fire
On the night of April 5, 2017, the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum in the Light Street Pavilion suffered a fire, causing minimal damage and a temporary closure for cleanup and repairs. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it was also reported that the pavilions’ fire sprinkler system did not activate. This was seen as a major issue from Ashkenazy's lack of maintenance for Harborplace.[55]
2023 Hooters break-in
In the night of September 2023, a break-in occurred at Hooters in the Light Street Pavilion. At the time of the event, there were not a lot of security guards as a result of Ashkenazy's neglect, which also led to Hooters’ January 2024 lawsuit.[56]
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Renovations
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2015 renovation
Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, after acquiring Harborplace, announced renovation plans. The new design plans were revealed in 2015. and was for to revitalize the struggling complex.
The design for the Pratt Street Pavilion aimed to "turn the building inside out" to allow ground-floor tenants like IT'SUGAR and Banana Republic (which previously was in the Gallery) to have their stores facing both the street and waterfront sides. Another plan for the new design was to replace the awnings and "greenhouse"-like glass with blackened steel, timbered wood, and terra cotta panels. Much of the second floor was planned to be an updated food court called "The Market at Harborplace", and Ashkenazy also planned on an updated, more modern tenant mix for both pavilions, such as Build-A-Bear Workshop and Neighborhoods Urban Goods, which occupied the former Urban Outfitters space.[57]
During this renovation period, IT'SUGAR temporarily relocated to the Light Street Pavilion. The space was closed permanently in April 2018 when they moved back to the Pratt Street Pavilion.[58]
Sugar Cube light fixture replacement
The renovation consolidated with the Inner Harbor 2.0 plan, the BMore Bright initiative, and the Lights Out Baltimore project which involved replacing all of the iconic Sugar Cube light fixtures, sometimes interchangeably known as "Super Cubes", designed by George Kostritsky, the "K" in RTKL Associates in the 1960s and installed by The Rouse Company and The Cordish Companies on the Inner Harbor waterfronts in the 1980s and 1990s, including the Harborplace waterfront and the nearby Pratt Street Power Plant, with 143 new wooden LED light poles designed by Structura, which was completed in 2018. The replacement was made because the original sodium light fixtures were burning out, became difficult to maintain and repair leading to dark areas on the waterfronts, and also caused migrating bird problems due to their upward-facing position. The new light fixtures point downward and are shielded, reducing this issue. The Sugar Cube light fixtures remained on the street side of the Pratt Street Pavilion, but all of the Sugar Cube light fixtures nearby The Gallery at Harborplace have been replaced. Additionally, the nearby Baltimore Convention Center is replacing the Sugar Cube light fixtures with LED street lamp fixtures.[59][60]
Renovations end
However, the plans were largely stalled. The pavilions began renovations in 2017, two years after the plans were announced, and renovations ending in April 2018 with the updated IT'SUGAR, and in late 2018 where renovations for both pavilions was only partially completed.[61]
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Gallery
The Light Street Pavilion on August 3, 2024, as viewed from the Baltimore World Trade Center.
The Gallery at Harborplace's interior, as viewed from the third floor, on April 3, 2015, shows Starbucks on the second floor. Restricted 5th floor seen on the top, with the windows covered in curtains.
Harborplace in 2019.
The exterior of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant in November 2016.
The interior of the former Phillips Seafood/Bubba Gump space shortly after its closure.
The exterior and interior of the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum at the Light Street Pavilion in July 2017.
Harborplace in August 2024, as viewed from the National Aquarium.
See also
References
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