Pity poor Howard Street. Baltimore’s once-proud commercial center has suffered all manner of indignity since the 1970s.
Jilted by a California developer promising a rebirth. Abandoned by department stores for the suburbs. Violated by road crews that ripped it up, then ripped it up again a few years later for light rail tracks. Duped by the city’s unrealized plan for an “Avenue of the Arts.”
There was even a time in 1999 when street lights went out – and stayed out for months.
And this month? A chemical-laden freight train burned out of control for days in a tunnel directly beneath the street, and a 40-inch water main erupted like a geyser at its southern gateway on West Lombard Street.
“Oh, my God, what’s the future?” thought Sharon Grinnell, the Baltimore Development Corp. official guiding the latest attempt to revive downtown’s west side. Howard Street is crucial, with new construction and renovations expected to create hundreds of apartments and numerous shops.
Grinnell is calmer now. The train did not blow up, and there is no sign of damage to the tunnel or buildings above. The incident did not, she said, derail the west side project: “It’s not going to stop the momentum.”
The tunnel accident July 18 offered a potent reminder that, whatever takes hold at street level, the underground is already abuzz. Not only is it a key East Coast artery for freight trains, but it has fiber-optic cables that help feed the Web and e-mail.
That vitality contrasts with the lackluster scene above ground, especially now. Some merchants say business dropped 80 percent in the five days that Howard Street and east-west streets were closed to cars, buses and light rail.
And while CSX is reimbursing businesses for losses – 100 claims have been called in to its hot line, 800-382-9988 – the burst pipe will keep light rail out of service for weeks.
That, merchants say, is cutting foot traffic at a time when many stores have left to make way for developments such as the blocklong Centerpoint project bordering Howard.
“We’ve all been saying to each other [that] with everything happening here, it’s like another nail in our coffin,” said Mark Devine, owner of Devine Seafood on Eutaw Street outside Lexington Market.
Devine said he had to throw away steak fish and flounder last week because of a lack of business, a rare occurrence. Talking in his empty shop Thursday, he said he couldn’t tally the losses because he still feels the effects.
Some relief could be in sight. On Friday night, MTA officials said a free shuttle bus service would start at 6 a.m. tomorrow, running north and south on Howard Street between the North Avenue light rail stop and Camden Station, with a detour around construction at Howard and Lombard.
Fighting the gloomy mood is the preternaturally optimistic Alvin J. Levi, who owns Howard Street Jewelers and is president of Market Center Merchants Association. Levi’s family business opened in the 1950s, and he has remained hopeful through it all. He is bullish about the current renewal program.
“You would have to be foolish not to realize this is like a very bad skinned knee before an athlete runs to the finish line and wins the race,” he said. “In two years, you and I are going to be standing on Howard Street saying the dream is real, it’s been great.”
Contrary to some perceptions, Howard Street is not usually desolate. Boarded-up buildings exist, but steady commerce occurs at clothing shops, beeper stores and the like. The street’s clientele, once middle class, tends toward lower income.
On Thursday, more than a week after the freight train derailed and caught fire, life had yet to return to normal. The street was eerily silent and empty, with no light rail and few people.
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At Marshall Mays discount shoes and clothing store at Howard and Lexington, manager Ahmed Rahimi looked gloomily at the handful of customers browsing.
“It’s basically dead in here,” he said.
He paused, wrinkling his brow. “If this doesn’t get resolved, we’re looking at getting out of our lease.”
Racks bulged with $12 Capri pants, $10 blouses and other summer items.
“Look how much goods I have,” he said disgustedly. “In September, you can’t give it away.” He was waiting to hear from CSX about what he might recoup.
On Howard Street, Nate James sat on a metal chair near the sidewalk stand where he sells videos, oils and pocketbooks.
“Usually it’d be a crowd of people because of light rail,” he said. “Invariably, some of those people would be doing some shopping.”
Levi understands the concerns. His own business has slackened because of the light rail shutdown; the stop outside his door lures potential customers. It’s not enough that the street itself is open, he said. “It’s like preparing a cheese omelet and having the cheese but not the egg,” he said. “You need everything to make it whole.”
Still, he appreciates CSX’s offer and efforts by city officials to meet with business owners. And Levi says the redevelopment plan will work.
Bank of America plans to begin work this fall on Centerpoint, a 384-unit apartment complex with shops and restaurants between Howard and Eutaw streets. A 17-story tower is planned for the Howard side of the block between Baltimore and Fayette streets.
The conversion of the vacant Hippodrome Theater on Eutaw Street to a Broadway-style venue is in the early stages, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore is expanding eastward. Officials hope to reverse a slide that began in the 1950s.
There have been many past attempts. In 1977, the Greater Baltimore Committee proposed a $210 million plan that went nowhere. In 1981, Los Angeles-based David H. Murdock Development Co. pledged to build a $150 million to $200 million office-retail center that did not happen.
Some changes did not necessarily help. In the mid-1980s, Howard Street got new pavement, lights, overhanging metal arches and sidewalks at a cost of about $30 million. But two blocks were turned into a transit mall for buses – a mistake, merchants said.
In 1988 came word that construction would begin again, this time to install light rail. While merchants say the trains bring customers, the construction caused a major disruption.
Meanwhile, department stores closed or left: Hochschild Kohn in 1976, Stewart’s in 1979, followed by Hutzler’s. Hecht’s left in 1989; now its building is being turned into 173 market-rate apartments.
In the mid-1990s, disappointment mounted. The administration of former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke spent more than $1 million to buy buildings in the 400 block of North Howard for artist studios and lofts. But the city could not get funding for the artist lofts, and the buildings were boarded up.
Then came the tunnel fire.
“It seems it’s an awful whammy to them,” said Walter Sondheim, a former executive of Hochschild Kohn and long a player in Baltimore’s redevelopment. But he added: “There’s not a curse on the place.”
The tunnel opened in 1895 and caused few problems over the years. At Hochschild Kohn, it merely jostled china and glassware stored on a basement shelf. A lip was added to the shelf to prevent any tumbles, Sondheim recalled.
Leonard Jaslow, general manager of Lexington Market, said the incident will go down as a minor blip. “We’ve overcome much more serious events than that. That, too, shall pass, you know? We’ll just continue on.”
The BDC’s Grinnell is equally optimistic. And yet a question persists: “What more can happen to this poor street?”