Originally built in 1914, the Recreation Pier in Fell’s Point, Maryland served as a ferry landing point for thousands of new immigrants, processed across the river at Locust Point immigration station. It was simultaneously a commercial pier, with recreation facilities such as a dance hall, basketball courts and playground equipment that attracted young people from across the city. It was a popular place for mothers to bring their children to play, while fathers worked on the adjacent docks.
This large warehouse structure included an arched entrance large enough for trucks to drive directly into the building, and featured a ballroom and civic spaces on its upper level. Long the venue for graduation ceremonies and even used as a frequent location for movies and television show shoots, the Rec Pier—as it’s known to locals—eventually sat vacant on the waterfront.

 
Our renovation sought to bring this popular pier back into the fabric of Baltimore Harbor. Our concept design embodies the rich history of the site and celebrates its harbor setting. The building’s width was not ideal for a hotel layout, however. To maintain the original structure and organize the hotel program efficiency, we created a central courtyard, surrounded by guestrooms. The large archway was enclosed to create the lobby restaurant and bar. The ballroom was fully restored, and a pool was added to the end of the pier, looking out onto the harbor.