Plans Underway for Pikesville Armory Revitalization Project

The Pikesville Armory was built in 1903 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It was decommissioned in 2016. (File photo)

About three-and-a-half years ago, Melvin G. Mintz and Howard J. Needle conceived and started the 1000 Friends of Pikesville community organization. They had a number of ideas in mind that they felt would help revitalize the Northwest Baltimore suburb in myriad ways, but the two longtime community activists understood that it would take some time.

Their long, slow journey continues to make progress.

Mintz, a physical therapist and former Baltimore County Councilman for the 2nd District, said they recently made a presentation to the Governor’s Commission on the Future of the Pikesville Armory, discussing various ideas about how to re-purpose the historic, multi-use building and its campus at 610 Reisterstown Rd.

Mintz and Needle, an attorney and former member of the House of Delegates, said that the project’s “Phase 1,” a fact-gathering process, has been completed, with “Phase 2” about to start. The latter will involve obtaining community input and creating a public discussion.

The final phase involves preparing a report that the pair of longtime Pikesville residents hope will come at some point later this year and be presented to the commission. The commission must present its recommendations to the governor no later than Oct. 1, 2018.

A major part of this effort features the vacant armory, a former Maryland National Guard facility. Last September, Gov. Larry Hogan established the 16-member commission with Sen. Robert A. “Bobby” Zirkin (D-11th) as its chair.

Besides Mintz and Needle, the commission includes representatives from such community and neighborhood associations as the Pikesville Chamber of Commerce, the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Pikesville Recreation Council.

According to the website of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, the mission is to “consult with Pikesville community members and other persons with relevant expertise on future uses for the Pikesville Armory. The Armory was built in 1903 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, so any recommended options for future use must be consistent with that designation.”

Over the years, the armory has been the scene of numerous cultural, athletic, social, commercial and political gatherings. It is the second oldest armory in the state, and Gen. George S. Patton reportedly attended polo matches there prior to World War II.

Mintz and Needle feel strongly that the armory – a 60,000-square-foot military storage facility on a total of 14 acres of land — could serve as an economic and cultural engine that would transform the Pikesville/Reisterstown Road corridor.

“We [see] this as… being a mid-Atlantic regional draw,” Needle said.

They envision a potential arts, cultural and community activities campus, something that has been created successfully in other cities. There are about 100 garages located on the armory’s campus that could be converted into a type of artists’ colony, with galleries, studios, performance areas and residences. Mintz and Needle feel the project could be built quickly once approval is received.

The armory building could be used for a variety of purposes that would benefit Reisterstown Road and the community as a whole. There also could be cafes and bookstores on the campus, they say.

Mintz and Needle said there is no projected cost estimate yet for the armory revitalization project. But regardless of the pricetag, they see many positives for what the armory project could become.

“That’s the goal of whatever happens at the armory — to act as that gem, that magnet to attract folks to engage in activity,” Mintz said. “Frequently, many places around this country, economically challenged communities, have turned to the arts, to the arts venues, to stimulate activities, which can serve as a contagion and has served as a contagion. You can’t look at a painting online.”

Mintz and Needle point out that they are involved in the armory project purely to help the community and are not seeking any personal financial or political gain.

“Why are we doing this? We have no financial interest in any of this whatsoever, no vested interest,” Mintz said. “But one of my main motivations … is Pikesville. One of my motivations was to see that Pikesville is sustained for the future. That’s what we’re doing.”

Needle said when they started 1000 Friends of Pikesville – which now has 1,313 members, according to Mintz – they felt the area was declining a bit and they simply wanted to do something about it.

“We decided we just couldn’t sit back and say we’d leave it up to others,” Needle said.

For information, visit the 1000 Friends of Pikesville organization’s Facebook page.

Jeff Seidel is a Baltimore-based freelance writer.

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