Katherine LePage

Films tell stories. If we pay attention, so do buildings. Inspired by many layered stories of the historic Parkway Theater, the design curates an unparalleled movie-going experience. 

The new SNF Parkway stands as a physical record of the technical and cultural evolution of film from its earliest days to today. The design approach celebrates the accumulated layers of each movie era with intentional contrast to modern interventions. The result is an authentic, rich, vibrant “rescued ruin” that energizes the film complex and anchors its critical location in the heart of the Station North Arts District.

Built in 1915, the Parkway is a rare surviving movie theater from the early era of film, originally lauded for its sophistication and elegant simplicity. Through the years, a series of renovations removed the ornate side boxes, enlarged the lobby, integrated sound equipment, replaced the marquee, removed seats, and adorned the spaces with layers of different paint colors and finishes. Despite its many renovations, the building retained much of its interior and exterior integrity while adapting to the ever-changing technological, economic, and cultural expectations for cinema through the 20th century. From the late 1970s it struggled, sitting vacant for decades.

Through artful curation, contemporary audiences absorb the layers of history while experiencing state-of-the-art amenities and technologies. In some instances, layers were removed to reveal hidden layers of history, while other instances incorporated the precise inclusion of new elements that are unabashedly of their time. In many areas, several periods of the building’s history coexist side by side.

Adjacent new construction replaces a former row house with a welcoming public lounge and two new state-of-the-art screening rooms. The striking pure white cube hovers above a transparent base to declare a vibrant new energy and dynamic future for the ever-evolving Parkway Theater.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Construction Cost: $9.9 M

Area: 23,800 SF

Completion: May 2017

Program: Renovation of a 1912 theatre which had been abandoned for decades + new addition. 420 seat theater, two screening rooms, lounge, concessions, offices and support space.

Role: Project Architect. Maryland Historic Trust submissions, point cloud interpretation, programming, detailing, design & coordination through all phases of design, FF&E and construction administration.

The BMA embarked on a three-year phased capital renovation, completed in conjunction with the Museum’s 100th anniversary, to improve the visitor’s experience, upgrade and modernize the aging infrastructure, and reconfigure behind-the-scenes work areas to support the Museum’s service to the community.

The historic Merrick entry is reopened, allowing visitors to experience the museum the way John Russell Pope intended. Improved mechanical systems maintain the conservation environment within. Just inside the front doors, the historic Fox Court is restored with new lighting and discretely integrated life safety systems. The adjacent American Galleries are reorganized and renovated with new materials and lighting that respond to the original Pope Galleries.

A complete re-design of the East Lobby transforms the visitor’s experience. The awkwardly-placed original main stair is relocated to the east, adjacent to a new, full height, gracefully curved wall that delineates the new retail space, opening and providing a large contiguous space for events. The interior finishes introduce a material palette that is contemporary, refined and elegant, while at the same time durable and timeless.

Beyond the lobby on the lower level, the renovations bring significant improvements for visitors, including much needed upgrades in essential life safety infrastructure, while a state-of-the-art building automation system improves care of the 90,000 works of art in the Museum’s world-class collection. Reorganization of the First Floor references Pope’s gallery design on the Second Floor and introduces galleries that establish order with new axial relationships, raised ceilings, clarified proportions, and refreshed gallery spaces for BMA’s treasured collections of African and Asian Art.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Construction Cost: $13.8 M

Area: 40,000 SF

Completion: 2014

Program: 2 year phased capital renovation for the 100th anniversary. Reopening the historic Merrick Entrance, renovation of historic John Russell Pope building + galleries, a complete redesign of the East Lobby/ Main Entrance, new retail space, redesign of Asian + African Art collection galleries, new education center and upgrades to infrastructure & life safety throughout.

Role: A Project Architect, Detailing for all major spaces, coordination with consultants from DD through CDs and construction administration.

The historic Centre Theatre at 10 East North Avenue has been redeveloped into a mixed-use commercial space. A key addition to the Station North Arts & Entertainment district, the flexible building design accommodates a variety of tenants, including a new Film Center for the Maryland Institute College of Art and Johns Hopkins University. 

The historic building was constructed in 1913 as a two-story automobile dealership and was converted into a theater and radio studio in the 1930’s. It opened its doors as the Centre Theater in 1939, welcoming guests into a 1,000-seat auditorium. The building was also home to the WFBR-AM radio station. The building was adapted into a bank after the theater’s closure in 1959. In its last transformation for use as a church and offices, the theater interior was removed and filled in by three new structural floors, accompanied by new stairs and elevators. When developers acquired the building in 2013, the building had been abandoned for over twenty years, and was in a state of disrepair. 

The project was awarded $3 million in Maryland Sustainable Communities Tax Credits as a result of the goal to restore the building envelope and structure per State and Federal historic preservation guidelines and meet Baltimore City Green Building Standards. The two outward facing facades on North Avenue and 20th Street have been restored, as well as the original theater marquee. New windows and roofs are installed alongside energy-efficient building envelope improvements. A new building core with stairs and elevators creates efficient and flexible tenant space.

Programming for the 73,000-square foot,  building includes spaces for film production and screenings, artists’ studios, galleries, and offices.

Facts/

Location: Baltimore, MD

Cost: $18 M Core + Shell

Area: 73,000 SF

Completion: 2015 Core + Shell, 2016 MICA/ JHU Film Centre

Program: mixed use redevelopment of a 1913 structure, which had been abandoned for 20+ years. Stabilization of original structure, new core elements and a flexible interior design to accommodate a variety of tenants with a warm dark shell. For JHU/ MICA Film tenant space - state of the art film production studios, sound stage, screening rooms, seminar rooms, galleries, offices and lounges.

Role: Project Architect. Maryland Historic Trust submissions, programming, detailing + coordination through all phases of design, construction administration, FF&E.

Baltimore Design School is a Baltimore City Public combined middle and high school with a focus on Fashion Design, Architectural Design, and Graphic Design. The new $18,975,000, 115,000-square foot school is created from an abandoned historic factory building. Built in 1914, the building was first designed to serve as a machine shop for a bottle cap company and was then a coat factory for decades. The building was shuttered in 1985, and remained abandoned and a major blighting influence on the city’s burgeoning Arts District.

The building’s transformation from blight to a state-of-the-art facility within the confines of a minimal budget demonstrates the power of design through exposed systems and best practices for historic renovation, adaptive reuse, educational design, and sustainable design.

The design exposes and contrasts the building’s historic fabric with modern interventions that stimulates student’s curiosity of the building’s history and their role in creating the school and its future. The new exterior additions are modern and restrained in expression, clearly demarcating the difference between new and old. The interior aesthetic is that of an open industrial loft where existing walls and structure that remain are cleaned and sealed and left exposed to view.

The open-ended and creatively-adapted environment supports and frames the unique, design-thinking focused curriculum of the school. The design encourages students to interact with, question, and change their environment, skills they will carry with them as future designers and thoughtful and engaged citizens. Throughout the building are areas that encourage interaction and the exchange of ideas. The building is intended to act as a canvas that promotes a dialogue inside and outside of the classroom.

The school is the first purpose-built public school in Baltimore City in decades and aims to be a national model for design education.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Construction Cost: $18,975,000

Area: 115,00 sf

Completion: 2013

Program: Combined middle + high school with a focus on fashion, architecture and graphic design. Adaptive re-use/ renovation of a decades long abandoned historic factory building in a burgeoning arts district. Galleries, offices, gymnasium, media center, cafeteria/multipurpose room, outdoor stage, fashion lab, fabrication lab, architecture lab, classrooms, breakout/study areas, lounges, metal/wood shop, studios, critique spaces

Role: Project Architect, FF&E package, programming, consultant coordination, project delivery, Maryland Historic Trust and Federal tax credit submissions, value engineering + cost evaluations and construction administration assistance.

Nestled into its sloped site and largely below grade, the new Robinson Nature Center immerses visitors in a rich environmental education experience from the moment they enter the site and throughout their visit.

Descending through the center’s main “Life of the Forest” exhibit, visitors go from the level of tree canopy to forest floor, both inside and out. Expanses of glass enhance the interpretive experience by offering on-going connections to nature, while also providing natural lighting for the interiors in support of the center’s sustainable mission. Exterior balconies and an inviting terrace off the center’s multipurpose and classroom wing further merge indoor and outdoor space.

FACTS:

Location: Columbia, MD

Area: 25,000 sf

Construction Cost: $15.5 M

Green: LEED Platinum Certified

Program: 50 seat planetarium, exhibits, classrooms, multipurpose auditorium, offices and store.

Role: Project Architect. SD through CDs. Consultant coordination, detailing and interiors.

FACTS:

Location: Wilmington, DE

Size: 139,000 SF

Completion: July 2023

Program: Riverhouse is a 150 unit apartment building in Wilmington, DE. Located along the Christina River it features scenic views of the city of Wilmington, the Southbridge Wetlands Nature Preserve Park and the Christina. The complex is conveniently located 2 blocks from the Amtrack station and winthin walking distance to downtown. Developed on a challenging brownfield site and within the flood plain, it fills a once missing link in the city's efforts to provide greenspace and attractions along the riverfront.

A priority of the design was capturing the views of downtown as well as the plentiful nature surrounding the site. Windows were strategically located to bring the outside in throughout. The project was also subjected to many setback requirements, which informed the final form.

Role: Project Architect/ Project Manager. Programming, interior design, consultant coordination, project delivery, FF&E support and construction administration.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Completion: July 2023

Program: New home for the the long term mentoring nonprofit that focuses on transforming the lives of young men in Baltimore City by supporting and advancing their academic, athletic and social development.

Role: Project Architect and Project Manager. Programming, interior design, consultant coordination, project delivery, FF&E and construction administration.

The new St. Mary’s Spiritual Center Visitor Center responds to the site’s need to interpret the St. Mary’s Chapel, which once served the oldest Catholic seminary in the United States, and the historic Mother Seton House that was the Baltimore residence of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Comprised of two distinct elements and organized around two walls—one brick and the other stone—that are remnants of the original seminary, the center mediates the site’s elevation change and provides access to both structures.  The east side of the brick wall is new construction, simple, but contemporary in design, while the west side incorporates a historic wooden colonnade that defines the eastern edge of the chapel grounds.  A sky-lit covered court provides access to the chapel site, where the setting retains its original presence.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Area:

Construction Cost:

Program: Interpretation of two National Historic Landmark sites, lobby/ exhibit spaces, gift shop, multipurpose room, salvage and reuse of wood columns, beams, curved brackets and joint, improved visitor entry sequence and circulation, and ADA accessible entry to historic chapel.

Role: Project Architect. SD through CDs, programming, consultant coordination, interiors, historic report coordination

The expanded and renovated Gibson Performing Arts Center puts the arts “on stage” and engages the larger campus community in the arts.

Originally stoic and inward-looking, the existing Gibson Center did little to reveal the performing arts to the Washington College campus and was a looming presence on the College’s main academic square. Inside, the Music and Drama Departments shared overcrowded facilities that were inadequate to fulfill their missions.

The new Gibson Center is a campus anchor. The college desired a modern, progressive design to draw people in, while respecting the character of the surrounding campus and integrating with the various styles of the other buildings constructed on or near the square in the 60s, 70s, and 90s. The design intent was not only to make a statement, but to give a physical identity to the academic departments housed within the center.

The transparent entry façade invites onlookers and encourages interaction, while the translucent recital hall serves as a visual beacon during evening performances. New exterior gathering areas and amphitheater-like steps enliven the square and offer a setting for impromptu practice and performance.

The interior features state-of-the-art teaching and performance spaces. Like the melody in a musical composition or the plot of a play, an undulating Theme Wall organizes the key interior spaces and provides a method of harmoniously merging disparate program elements into a cohesive whole. The Music and Drama Departments each retain their own unique features, yet are united in their focus on the arts.

Facts/

Location: Chestertown, MD

Size:

Construction Cost:

Program: 440 Seat proscenium theater, 175 seat experimental theater, 200 seat recital hall, music & drama rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, green room, art gallery, offices, scene shop, loading dock, lobbies. Site design to enhance dialogue with Martha Washington Square and provide outdoor performance space in the heart of campus.

Role: Project Design team, interiors, coordination with consultants, programming, concept through CDs.

Adaptive reuse mixed-use redevelopment of the Wilkins Rogers Flour Mill at the bottom of Old Ellicott City. The quirky spaces within the factory building are reultilized to celebrate the history of the space and allow visitors & residents to have a unique experience. These measures includes a outdoor green space with inset pool along the rail tracks between the two buildings where grain was loaded/ unloaded, reuse of the existing silo structures for vertical circulation, new lobby space below the existing interior silos and exposed stabilized concrete structure throughout. The project has been awarded historic tax credits. Units will have new large factory style windows, large floor to ceiling heights and a industrial aesthetic with luxury interventions.

The site is fully within a flood plain in a region known for severe flash flooding, so the design includes several escape paths above flood levels and flood proofing for the lower floors.

Program: Retail, restaurant spaces, luxury apartments, pool, rail courtyard, roof garden, gym, lounges and extensive forest buffer spaces surrounding the building.

Role: Project Manager. SD through CDs. Consultant coordination, detailing, finish selections, and interiors.

Privately developed student housing that will be leased by Morgan State University. The building is a mix of singles, doubles and quad units and every bedroom has a private bathroom. The building is designed for students, so lounges as well as study rooms have been positioned on every floor. The building is currently under construction and is estimated to be complete summer 2025.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Area: 193,000 sf

Construction Cost: $42 M

Green: IgCC

Program: 151 Units with 470+ beds and baths dorm style student apartments. Mix of singles, doubles and quad units. Each bedroom has a private bathroom. Amenity spaces including game rooms, lounges, study rooms, gym, yoga studio, sundries, two bike rooms, pet wash and large programmed outdoor courtyard.

Role: Project Manager. SD through CA. Consultant coordination, client management, finish selections and construction administration

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Size: 17,350 SF

Completion: July 2019

Program: New home for several prominent Baltimore non-profits including but not limited to the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, BARCO and Bmore Art’s Connect + Collect Gallery.

Role: Project Architect. Programming, interior design, consultant coordination, project delivery, FF&E and construction administration.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD, JHU Campus

Size: 5,000 SF

Program: Creation of a new hub for the Kavli Institute on the JHU campus. Offices, open flexible work areas for undergraduate + graduate students, 24/7 interactive meeting/ lounge space for collaboration between the University and Medical School.

Role: Project Manager & Project Architect. Programming, interior design, consultant coordination, project delivery, FF&E and construction administration.

FACTS:

Location: Baltimore, MD

Completed: 2016

Programing: artists studio spaces, office, black box and cafe.

Role: Consulting architect for interiors. Including; main lobby, main conference areas and 3rd floor lounge. Furniture selection, custom furniture design, interior finish recommendations throughout building. Worked in conjunction with Frank Lucas Architects.

The largest single project ever undertaken by Baltimore County Public Schools, the new Dundalk & Sollers Point High School complex, has capacity for 1,857 students. 

A unique combination of two types of high schools—one comprehensive (Dundalk) and one technical (Sollers Point)—design of the new complex focused on giving each school its own identity, while capitalizing on shared spaces to maximize efficiency.

A multi-story central atrium houses the shared media center and forms the heart of the building. Daylight shines down this central core through clerestories and provides a visual connector along virtually the entire length of the building enhancing wayfinding. 

The architectural language of the exterior of this new complex tells the story 
of the merge of two schools into one. The materials used are contextual to community; the comprehensive high school’s brick masonry pays homage to the old school building, while the insulated translucent panel housing the technical high school represents the pioneering tradition of a community that built itself around the steel industry.  

Exhibits in the lobby and imagery that flows through the cafeteria and corridors illustrate the history of the neighborhoods the schools serve, allowing the complex to engage the community by serving as a place of remembrance and preservation.

FACTS:

Location: Dundalk, MD

Area: 365,000 SF

Construction Cost: $79 M

Program: Double high school under one roof, shared media center, cafeteria, auditorium, gymnasium, general classrooms, special education facilities and technical spaces.

LEED: Gold Certified

Architect of Record: GWWO Architects, Initial Concept Design Consultant, Perkins + Will.

Role: Project design team primarily responsible for interior programming, exterior skin, consultant coordination, project deliverables SD through CDs + renderings.

Bearing a secondary relationship to the site’s main house, a National Historic Landmark, the new Morven Museum & Garden interpretive center has a welcoming character and strong relationship to the surrounding gardens.  The design breaks down the center’s massing into connecting parts with varying heights related to the site’s existing outbuildings, while maintaining a maximum building height to further minimize the impact on the site.  

Entering through the garden gate, visitors follow a path to the building in a gracious sequence that allows for views of the main house and gardens.  A clear and welcoming destination, the new center houses all practical necessities, allowing the main house to be used purely as a museum and preserving the site’s most important element.

FACTS:

Location: Princeton, NJ

Role: Project Architect for Schematic Design + Renderings

The rehabilitation of the Old Annapolis Post Office for the adaptive re-use of the building for Maryland State office space, while preserving its rich architectural character. 

FACTS:

Location: Annapolis, MD

Area: 22,000 sf

Completion: 2020

Program: Restoration and renovation of 1901 building on historic Church Circle. New home to the Governor’s Legal Department and Maryland Secretary of State. Offices, meeting spaces, restoration of historic lobby, life safety upgrades and full restoration of exterior.

Role: Project Architect. Programming, Interiors, coordination with new tenants, consultant coordination.

Built in 1952 with only minor interior modifications since, Belle Grove Elementary School needed complete renovation and expansion to meet the educational needs of today’s students. This modernization project completely gutted and reconfigured the school for more effective curriculum delivery and operations. All finishes, equipment, and building systems were replaced, and numerous modifications for code compliance were implemented. 

Two additions expand the school, providing additional program space and creating a new more prominent entry accessible from a new entrance road that better circulates traffic through the surrounding neighborhood and school site. 

FACTS:

Location: Brooklyn, MD

Program: Complete renovation of existing school and addition. Classrooms, science resource room, art rooms, music classrooms, computer lab, media center, gymnasium, cafetorium, offices, health suite and admin.

Role: Project Architect. Programing through CDs. Interior design support.