A pillar of Baltimore’s central business district, Lexington Market is one of the longest continuously operating public markets in the country, and its renovation in 2022 has earned a CoStar Impact Award.
Local developer Seawall Development was chosen through a request for proposals process in 2018, when the city decided Lexington Market needed a reimagining. Seawall then spent two years listening to market customers and vendors, city officials and community members to determine the best path forward for its redevelopment.
Seawall decided to build a new 60,000-square-foot building to house the open-air cart market, which has been in operation since 1782. The $45-million project involved redeveloping a parking lot adjacent to the former location and reopening the historic Lexington Street as a pedestrian plaza with outdoor seating and event space. The design of the new building is inspired by an early 1900s market shed.
As the development came to a close in the fall of 2022, Seawall continued to launch community listening initiatives, branding efforts and educational programming to attract a strong vendor and customer base. Since its soft opening in October, Lexington Market’s new space has more than 20 permanent merchants, filling roughly half the space. The new merchant mix increases the representation of Black-owned businesses to more than 50% of all market vendors, along with 50% women-owned businesses.
About the Property: Lexington Market is located at 112 N. Eutaw St. next to the Metro stop of the same name, and adjacent to the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and several popular theaters.
What the Judges Said: “Lexington Market was once a great attraction for a variety of employees, residents and visitors. More recently it has been a detractor. Its remaking has a chance to unlock a badly needed rejuvenation to that area of Baltimore,” Doug Schmidt, a principal at Workshop Development, said.
“This redevelopment has the potential to change the narrative in a key area of the central city. Its scale and high visibility make it a key piece, and a lot of credibility of the city’s redevelopment efforts hinge on its success,” added Art Putzel, a principal at Trout Daniel & Associates.
They Made It Happen: The Seawall development team that oversaw this project is comprised Jon Constable, Peter DiPrinzio, Thibault Manekin, Katie Marshall and Ben McDonald. Pickett Slater Harrington, founder and managing principal at social change design firm Joltage, also played a significant role.
