| Location | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
|---|---|
| Address | 711 W. 40th Street |
| Opening date | 1971 |
| Developer | Manekin Corp. |
| No. of anchor tenants | 1 |
| Total retail floor area | 140,800 sq. ft. |
The Rotunda is a shopping mall in Baltimore, Maryland, located near the renowned neighborhoods of Roland Park, Hampden, and Charles Village, and near Johns Hopkins University. The mall was developed by Bernard Manekin who converted the 1920's Maryland Casualty Insurance Co. building, designed by Otto Simonson, into a shopping center in 1971. [1][2] The mall's centerpiece is a bell tower which chimes the Westminster Quarters. It was renovated in 2002. [3]
It featured office and retail space, including a Giant Food store, Rite Aid, the Rotunda Cinematheque, and various specialty shops such as
The former Christian Science Reading Room was located on the second floor at the foot of the ramp in front of Giant Food, now occupied by Allstate.[4]
An escalator once occupied a space at the mall.
The Baltimore Clear Channel headquarters are located on the third floor, which includes the studios for WPOC 93.1, WZFT Z104.3, WQSR 102.7 Jack FM and WCAO Heaven 600 AM. [5]
The Social Security office is located on the fourth floor.
The rest of the offices house lawyers, dentists, sports physicians, a dyslexia tutoring program, mental health professionals and various other specialists.
A fountain once located in the mall's center court atrium has been gone for decades, but plans call for a new outdoor fountain.[6]
Local musician Logan Mitchell Sr. and his Electro-Acoustic Orchestra made their first performance here in 1998. [7][8]
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The Rotunda has been neglected for the past several decades. The mall was bought by Hekemian & Co., Inc. in the 2000s.
Baltimore City officials have been attempting to find a developer willing to revitalize the complex. [9] A $70 million plan is currently in place that would expand The Rotunda and add a 120-room hotel, townhouses, condominiums, and more retail and office space. [10][11] The name will be changed to The Grand Rotunda.
Two Maryland Transit Administration bus lines operate past The Rotunda: Routes 22 and 98.
