Station North (Baltimore, Maryland)

 Upload a photo

The Station North Arts and Entertainment District is an official arts and entertainment district marked by a combination of artistically-leaning commercial ventures, such as theaters and museums, as well as formerly abandoned warehouses that have since been converted into loft-style living.

In recent decades, the area represented a relatively impoverished area between the healthier neighborhoods of Mount Vernon, Bolton Hill, and Charles Village. In addition to its proximity to those neighborhoods, a number of factors made the area amenable to redevelopment and gentrification. Much of even the poorest sections of the neighborhood feature beautiful, three-story, early 20th-century rowhouses as the main housing stock; the Maryland Institute College of Art is within walking distance; and Penn Station lies at the south edge of the neighborhood, providing walking-distance access to Amtrak, Light Rail and MARC commuter rail service (the latter being of particular interest to those commuting to Washington, D.C.)

In early 2008, Baltimore’s development arm, the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), released a preview of their master plan for the area. In the near term, the master plan includes converting the top three floors of Penn Station into a botique hotel, with long term goals including construction of high-rise residential buildings. The Charles North Vision Plan identified four areas to focus revitalization on: Charles Gateway/Penn Station, the corner of Charles Street and North Avenue, the creation of an "Asia Town" at 20th Street and Charles Street, and the "Creative/Design Zone". The plan calls for over $100 million in subsidies to aid in the development of the area.