The three-story brick structure at 101 E. Trenton St. in Baltimore has had many lives.
It once served as a horse stable, then a carriage house, an auto upholstery factory and even a warehouse, long since abandoned. But its latest incarnation might be its most attention-getting.
The building is now a colorful mixed-use development called the Trenton Art Garage, a transformation that earned the project a CoStar Impact Award as judged by an independent panel of local real estate professionals.
"The building was bought in 2021 for $250,000, and after nearly $1 million in investment, the project comprises eight residential units intended for workforce housing with a ground-floor commercial space that will function as design-build studio Graham Projects’ new headquarters," according to a property history prepared by the firm.
Graham Projects created the 100-foot mural wrapping around the studio, bringing a new spark to a long-vacant alley. The project received financial assistance via a grant from the Central Baltimore Partnership, a nonprofit community development organization, with lending through Baltimore's Neighborhood Impact Investment Fund, a public-private partnership that has raised more than $8.8 million in federal funding to provide financial assistance to low-income communities.
About the project: The Trenton Art Garage helps anchor the city's Station North Arts District, which spans the neighborhoods of Charles North, Greenmount West and Barclay. The upper floors include a mix of one-bedroom and studio apartments, offering below-market rents.
They made it happen: The design-development-build team was led by Tamir Ezzat, president and principal at ddbWorkshop, with support from Brian Tarantino, director of Tarantino Engineering Consultants. Graham Projects, a studio firm headed by Graham Coreil-Allen, is the project's anchor tenant.