Boston Street Animal Hospital

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Vet: Michelle Danna, DVM

Services:  Architecture, Interior

Cost: withheld

Type: Veterinary, Adaptive Reuse

Awards: Excellence in Design, AIA Maryland

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This project began as a simple interior renovation to a three story row build- ing, a former tavern, on Boston Street in Baltimore. The building sits in the Historic Canton Neighborhood and was subject to architectural and commu- nity review. During the due diligence period it was discovered the facade had been structurally compromised in an earlier renovation/conversion from residence to tavern. The structural problem presented an opportunity to rethink the facade of the building.

A large glass created on the facade opens the interior workings of the hospi- tal to the community. The solution creates two visual links: first, a view into the interior spaces and interior daily activities and second, a view from the interior out to the harbor through a view corridor created by the develop- ment across Boston Street. The existing stair, with open risers, permits light and views to the interior. The cornice, a continuous element along the block was visually strengthened and reconstructed to cap the new facade. Materials: brick, aluminum, low-e glass, cork, stone, wood, laminate, and metal.

This project received an Excellence in Design Award from the Maryland AIA  as a solution that uses an economy of means to bring together the user’s and the community’s requirements with a strong contextual architectural statement connecting space and place.