East Baltimore redevelopment project could start soon

  • 2017-07-03
The A. Hoen & Company complex in East Baltimore has been vacant for over 30 years, but this is about to change.

Strong City Baltimore, a nonprofit organization, is getting ready to redevelop the warehouse, transforming it into a place that will provide a venue for community events, college courses, and job training, and will serve to spur growth and investment in the neighborhood.

Strong City Baltimore is run by Karen D. Stokes, who says her organization will partner with two developers – City Life Historic Properties and Cross Street Partners – with the work expected to start in Fall 2017. Workers are already mitigating chemical pollution and stabilizing the building, which has been empty for decades.

The complex, which comprises 85,000 square feet, will house not only Strong City, but also a writers’ cooperative, a cafe, classes offered by Morgan State University, and offices that can be shared by entrepreneurs looking for space.

Stokes believes investing in the project will lead to additional revitalization projects in surrounding neighborhoods, and in fact, developments are already underway. Humanim, a nonprofit organization that helps people find employment, is located in the renovated American Brewery, while the Food Hub is under construction west of the Hoen site.

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