In May, Holly Williams moved to Baltimore from Staten Island for her health care job. As a born and bred New Yorker used to constant redevelopment, she didn’t give much thought to the scaffolding and construction at Baltimore’s Penn Station when she first arrived there.
But during her multiple trips back to the Empire State to visit her family and friends, she quickly noticed that the station had no “good” food or snack options while she waited at the city’s main passenger rail station.
“Outside of Dunkin’ Donuts there’s not really anything here and right now it’s closed,” Williams said as she waited for her train Friday night. “And I had no time to stop at the store, so more vendors or restaurants would be really nice.”
For commuters like Williams, 49, who lives in nearby Mount Vernon, Penn Station is just a short walk from her home and a convenient means to get in and out of town. But other residents want the transportation hub to offer new restaurants and to serve as a cultural center for Station North and Greenmount West. Now, it’s anticipated that Penn Station’s “historic preservation and state-of-the-art redevelopment,” according to the developers, will deliver just that.
According to Amtrak, the $150 million redevelopment of the station is expected to extend the concourse, add two new train platforms, redo the exterior finishes, and add office, dining and retail spaces to the vacant levels of the building.
Helmand Karzai, an owner of Tapas Teatro restaurant, has been in Station North since 2001 — before the neighborhood was even called that. He recalled a time when you could have a night out at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, which has featured restaurants and high-end shopping and is also awaiting a renovation. And as a local business owner himself, he hopes that Penn Station’s redevelopment will be somewhat reminiscent of that time and when Baltimore’s Harborplace opened in 1980.
“It’d be fun if you didn’t just go through Penn Station to get to a destination, but if Penn Station is the destination that would be really cool. And I’d like to see local businesses represented, not big chains,” Karzai said.
“A spot where you could grab some oysters and a quick drink before or after you get on the train would also be a nice touch,” he added.
Construction is underway to modernize the 111-year-old building, after the last major renovation took place in 1984. Amtrak contracted Penn Station Partners, which consists of the Beatty Development Group and Cross Street Partners, as master developers before construction began in February.
Baltimore’s Penn Station is one of 55 stops along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. But Amtrak said, “the station is the eighth busiest in the country, with more than three million Amtrak and MARC passengers moving through each year.”
In April 2019, Amtrak initially committed as much as $90 million to renovate Penn Station. It was announced in April 2021 that the project would also receive $4 million in state funding from Gov. Larry Hogan and the Maryland General Assembly. And the company then announced in October 2021 a $150 million total investment.
A federal infrastructure grant added another $6 million.
S. Divine Sankofa spends a lot of time between Penn and Union stations as a longtime D.C. public school educator and a doctoral student studying higher education leadership at Howard University. Baltimore is a “great university town” and he feels the renovation should reflect the needs of not just Baltimoreans, but the diverse college population who come in and out of the city daily.
“Phone charging stations, places that serve fresh food in bowls like Cava or salads that can be prepared swiftly and better lighting around the station is needed,” Sankofa said. “Oh! And I’m a cyclist, I know that they have bike racks outside, but this place isn’t all that bike-friendly.”
Artist Maura Dwyer recently moved out of Station North to Charles Village. These days, her art consists of a lot more photo illustration and performance. But she’s done murals in the past, and recognizes the need for the need for the public art pieces to remain at Penn Station as it undergoes redevelopment.
One of those pieces is at the corner Lanvale and Charles streets, north of Penn Station, a redesigned police substation with glass and tile pieces covering the exterior. Titled “Change for the Better,” the mosaic was done by local artist Loring Cornish in 2015 as a response to police brutality and the death of Freddie Gray.
“I just think that the Koban mosaic piece is a special piece to Station North, and came about at a tumultuous time for our city that was meant to be a healing symbol,” Dwyer said. “And it just feels like we should keep it where it is and honor it, or find a meaningful place to move it.”
Penn Station is expected to be completed by 2025. The project is in the first phase of construction, focusing on entryways, lighting and transit connections. Eventually, the phased expansion will create a “mixed-use transportation hub” and a “lively 24/7 atmosphere,” according to the project’s website.
Baltimore’s rail renovation also complements ongoing Amtrak upgrades at New York’s Penn Station; the opening of the new Moynihan Train Hall in New York; and further development of stations in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
Karzai, the restaurateur, believes projects in Baltimore often start auspiciously but then disappoint.
“A lot of Baltimore projects tend to have multi-phases. And they always seem to finish phase one, but never seems to get all the way through,” Karzai said. “I’d really like to see this get all the way through.”
