ULI Baltimore Honors Hilton Baltimore

Project Wins Award of Excellence for Visionary Design and Community Impact

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. November 04, 2010

November 3, 2010 - The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), in partnership with RTKL, announces that the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Baltimore has recognized the Hilton Baltimore Hotel through its annual WaveMaker Awards program. The ULI Baltimore WaveMaker awards are presented to local developments that contribute to the community through unique, innovative and visionary urban planning and design.

Developed by BDC on behalf of the City of Baltimore and master planned and architecturally designed by RTKL, the Hilton Baltimore Hotel was among six projects recognized for their demonstrated respect of the surrounding neighborhood and geography with a strong sense of place, sustainability and visionary approach.

“The Hilton Baltimore has transformed the skyline of this great city, and serves as the engine for our growing tourism and convention business,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “In a space that was once an asphalt parking lot we now have a towering symbol of the progress being made in Baltimore.”

The Hilton Baltimore Hotel is located on a former parking lot adjacent to the Baltimore Convention Center, Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the historic Camden Rail Station, the first passenger railroad station in the United States. The site marks a major gateway to the downtown area and is a critical component of the continued expansion and strengthening of Baltimore's commercial and tourism industries.

“We are honored by ULI's recognition of the Hilton Baltimore Hotel,” said BDC President and Baltimore Hotel Corporation Chairman M.J. “Jay” Brodie. “The hotel has changed the reception that Baltimore receives by meeting planners in a hugely positive way, making our city a more desirable and competitive destination for tourists and conventions.”

The hotel contains 757 rooms, 60,000-SF of flexible function space, a 200-seat restaurant with an additional 96 seats of outdoor dining, a lobby bar and 550 spaces of structured parking. The project's strategic layout thoughtfully accommodates public transit, traffic and pedestrian patterns, and features prominent outdoor public spaces to foster a sense of activity and animation.

“The Hilton Baltimore's master plan integrates two blocks of urban fabric that stood as parking lots for over 20 years. It creates active pedestrian connections to other important downtown destinations,” said Dan Freed AIA LEED AP, RTKL principal and lead designer. “The outward facing nature of the design not only makes the development more engaging, but it also makes a strong statement about Baltimore's modernization and growth.”

During construction, the project awarded $67 million in contracts to local minority and women business enterprises, exceeding the city's goal. The development also established a model for construction employment initiatives set forth by the city and adopted the Baltimore City Living Wage for all subcontractors and hotel employees. As of Sept. 30, 2010, the Hilton Baltimore employs 412 people, of which 79 percent are city residents. In 2009, the hotel's first full year of operation, it earned the “Connie Award” for excellence in customer loyalty, service, condition and cleanliness, outperforming all other Hilton Hotels with more than 500 rooms in the United States. Additionally, the Hilton Baltimore was the 2009 recipient of the “Excellence in Housekeeping” Award for cleanliness and quality. Since opening in 2008, the hotel has booked over 500 events, which resulted in more than 450,000 room nights.

The project was noted for its sustainable methods and technologies which include the use of local building materials, energy-efficient MEP systems and Maryland's largest green roof.

The project team consisted of: the City of Baltimore, owner; Baltimore Development Corporation, developer; RTKL, architecture, structural engineering and restaurant interior design; McKissack & McKissack, architecture; Daroff Design Inc., interior design; Hope Furrer Associates, Inc., structural engineering; Mahan Rykiel Associates Inc., landscape architecture; Brandston Partnership Inc., lighting design; and Hensel Phelps Construction Co., construction.