Business

Baltimore architects Pavlina Ilieva and Kuo Pao Lian have had their eye on Library No. 19 for more than a decade. The former Enoch Pratt Free Library branch sits on a quiet, residential block of Fells Point, near to where they live and work. After years of watching the building fall into vacancy and disrepair, Ilieva and Lian’s architecture design firm, PI.KL Studio, has been selected by Baltimore’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to revive the property at 606-610 S. Ann St. in Fells Point.

Former Raven Trevor Pryce is trying to bring a little bit of Hollywood to East Baltimore with the creation of an animation studio that could eventually employ 300 people. Pryce’s Outlook OVFX media company just signed a deal to expand its footprint in Broadway East by 26,000 square feet and soon will occupy three buildings there. “We have an opportunity here to build a Burbank East,” Pryce said on Wednesday.

Baltimore’s top public radio outlet has acquired a beloved regional peer known for amplifying local music on the air and through live events. Old Goucher-based WYPR, residing at 88.1 FM on the airwaves, on Friday announced its plans to acquire WTMD 89.7 FM from Towson University, owner of the station since 2014. WTMD general manager Scott Mullins confirmed a report from WYPR that the sale price is $3 million, to be financed in part by donor contributions and loans.

Baltimore’s Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital has completed a roughly $5 million expansion of its outpatient center, to accommodate huge growth in patient demand. The Rosenberg Outpatient Center first opened on the MWPH campus in 2000. It was two stories, about 15,000 square feet and cost about $3 million to build.

After a year spent staring at the same four walls of the home office, where the biggest trip on the agenda was running errands at the grocery store, many of us are ready to head out of town. Somewhere, anywhere. As more people get vaccinated, travel restrictions lift and Covid-19 infections fall, Americans are increasingly feeling ready to book a getaway.

The Small Business Administration’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund has more than $75 billion in applications and only $28.6 billion in funding — but help could be on the way. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., chairman of the Senate’s small Business Committee, said in a hearing Wednesday featuring SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman that the Senate’s leadership is mulling over fresh legislation for the program, including more funding. The grant program has received more than 362,000 applications since opening earlier in May.

The sleek design at Watershed, Atlas Restaurant Group’s newest Baltimore property, is a departure from the no-frills, neon-bathed atmosphere of Nick’s Seafood, the local favorite that used to anchor the west entrance of the historic Cross Street Market. Watershed, which opens to the public Friday, has an airier feel, with brick walls painted white, glossy floors, light wood benches and a blue-tiled, marbled white bartop running down the center of the restaurant space.

Michele’s Granola’s pandemic-era growth spurt will continue with a major expansion to the company’s Timonium production facility. The Baltimore County-based organic granola and muesli maker announced plans this week to more than double the size of its office and warehouse space. Michele’s, which currently uses about 10,500 square feet at 1940 Greenspring Drive, will take over suites adjacent to the facility over the next nine months. The expansion will bring the company’s footprint to 24,000 square feet.