Page 27 - Fall 2019

On the south end of Downtown Baltimore, not far from Camden
Yards, stands the five-building warehouse complex formerly
occupied by the Parker Metal Decoration Company. The plant was
completed and expanded in stages from 1921 to 1949. The company,
which was a pioneer in technical innovations that were essential to
the production of decorative cans and caps, was a major component
of two of Baltimore’s most important early 20th-century industries:
canning and metal lithography. In fact, the original Old Bay tin
container was produced on these grounds. Due to the steel-frame-
and-brick building’s history and importance to the heritage of
Charm City, the Parker Metal Building was added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 2000.
When a client acquired the complex, McInturff Architects was
hired to carefully restore and update the space, redesigning it both
inside and out. The building has since been outfitted with a new
glass-encased elevator, open staircases, and new atriums at the
first-floor entrances. The 50,000-square-foot commercial office space
offers versatility for small and large tenants alike, providing open,
loft-like spaces, communal gathering areas, and omnipresent
references to its historic industrial past. With the preexisting raw
elements intact, the weathered brick, steel, and timber are
complemented by newly installed details and state-of-the-art
mechanical and electrical systems.
The interventionist design pulls the visitor in from underneath
a freeway overpass and into a centralized glass-enclosed lobby that
serves all five structures in the complex. From inside the newer
portions of the building, floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of
train tracks and the M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore
Ravens football franchise. This unique context, along with the
significant slope of the site, posed challenges for McInturff in the
redevelopment of this project.
The Parker Metal Building was home to innovation in the
20th century, and through this commercial redevelopment, Corridor in the Parker Metal project. Photo © Mark McInturff
McInturff Architects is ensuring this space remains an incubator
for innovation in the 21st century.

Main entry to Parker Metal. Photo © Julia Heine