Nearly six years ago, I remember standing on the sidewalk in front of the historic Pikes Theatre on a chilly afternoon with about 40 politicians and community leaders. So many people were gathered at this ribbon-cutting ceremony that a few of us almost backed off the curb and into oncoming traffic along Reisterstown Road in “downtown” Pikesville.
The occasion was the grand reopening of the Art Deco-style movie house as an “independent boutique theater.” The Pikes, which originally opened in 1938, had just undergone an extensive renovation and would now be operated by the Reisterstown-based NextAct Cinema.
A genuine sense of optimism and joy filled the air. “[The Pikes] will be the focal point of entertainment and dining in this area,” said David Uhlfelder, of what was then known as the Pikesville Chamber of Commerce (now the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce), to the assembled. “This will be the center of the wheel for this corridor, and we’re looking forward to your success.”
Unfortunately that success never materialized, and last month NextAct announced it was closing. There’s probably a slew of theories about why the reborn Pikes didn’t work out and its proverbial film projector was switched off.
Like a lot of older suburban areas in recent decades, Pikesville – which is arguably the emotional heart and soul of the contemporary local Jewish community – has gone through a lot of false starts trying to restart its engine. In the process, it’s made many people rather cynical about the area’s viability for the future.
But as Bob Dylan once said, “You should always take the best from the past, leave the worst back there and go forward into the future.”
I recently caught a glimpse into the area’s past — and hopefully its future — when receiving a guided tour of the Pikesville Armory complex, and I must say I’m impressed and cautiously optimistic.
Under the stewardship of the nonprofit Pikesville Armory Foundation, there are ambitious plans for transforming the 14-acre, 122-year-old campus into an intergenerational communal gathering place.
These plans include building performance venues, a state-of-the-art senior center, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, a playground, classrooms, studio spaces, athletic fields, maker space, walking paths, a meeting place for veterans, a culinary arts program, classrooms and retail space, and more.
Folks like David Ginsburg, the foundation’s executive director (who was stationed at the armory during his days in the Maryland National Guard), fervently believe the transformation of the campus – placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 – is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to reinvigorate Pikesville while serving as a cultural and economic engine for the entire northwest corridor.
When I met with Ginsburg and company recently, about $32 million was raised so far from federal and state sources for the project, which will likely cost approximately $95 million in total and is expected to be completed in 2028.
Yesterday, Jan. 9, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development announced it is allocating $15 million from the Catalytic Revitalization Tax Credits program for the armory redevelopment project. The tax credit supports the rehabilitation and renovation of properties formerly owned by the state or federal government, including colleges or universities, public schools, hospitals and mental health facilities, and military facilities or installations.
The allocation of the Catalytic tax credits grant means that 2025 will be a crucial year for the armory project to raise private capital to qualify for future tax credits and additional public funding.
Shelley Morhaim, the foundation’s president, called the announcement “a major milestone in bringing the community’s vision to realization. We are grateful for the strong support the project has enjoyed from the State, as well as from Baltimore County government and the private sector. The redeveloped Armory campus will create intergenerational opportunities and benefits for citizens and businesses throughout northwest Baltimore County.”
Many of us who’ve lived in the Pikesville community for years have never set foot on the armory grounds; a lot of folks have merely driven by it countless times. It’s been a curiosity of sorts, barely a blip on the radar screen, for some residents.
But if the folks at the foundation have their way, the armory will soon be a major component of our daily lives.
Let’s wish them all the success in the world and support them in any way we can. Pikesville certainly deserves it.
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