Before a gathering of elected officials, civic leaders and assorted guests, Gov. Wes Moore stood in a drafty, echo-laden building on the Pikesville Armory campus Monday morning and proclaimed, “It did take a village to get here. … This is the time that we’re going to get this right. And this place and this space will help us to lead the charge.”
Moore was on hand for the official groundbreaking ceremony Jan. 22 to transform the 14-acre former military site into a regional hub for recreation, sports, the arts, veterans events and community gatherings, as well as a catalyst for revitalization of the Northwest Baltimore corridor.
Besides the governor, remarks were delivered by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Maryland), Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Sen. Shelly L. Hettleman (D-11th), Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka (D-2nd), and Shelley Morhaim, president of the board of the Pikesville Armory Foundation.
“It’s going to be a reality!” raved Cardin. “Congratulations. It’s an incredible effort!”
When completed, Patoka said the armory “is going to be a regional destination point. Today is a great day in the 2nd District of Baltimore County!”
Last August, the Maryland Department of Public Works approved the transfer of ownership of the armory at 610 Reisterstown Rd. from the state to Baltimore County for $1. In October, ownership of the site was transferred to the PAF, a nonprofit formed in 2020, to support efforts to transform the campus into a community hub with indoor courts, outdoor fields, state-of-the-art playgrounds, maker spaces, theaters, art spaces, walking paths, beer gardens, co-working spaces and more.
The PAF will redevelop the armory campus in partnership with the Baltimore-based Seawall community organization and the Onyx Development firm. The development team of Seawall and Onyx will work in partnership with the PAF on all aspects of the project’s design, financing, public art, leasing and programming. The total cost of the redevelopment project is estimated to be around $100 million.
The first phase of the redevelopment process will begin in April with construction to renovate and restore the NonCommissioned Officers Club building, which will take approximately 12 months. The second phase, encompassing the main armory building and 10-plus acres of green space, will kick off in early 2026, with construction taking approximately two years.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, the armory was built in 1903. The site was the subject of a 2017 Governor’s Commission drawing on hundreds of community conversations. The redevelopment of the site led to the formation of the PAF, which will steward the redevelopment process and continue a community engagement process in the coming years.
Project updates and announcements will be posted at transformpikesvillearmory.org.
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