the baltimore unity hall

Please contact Executive Director Ash Esposito at ash@baltimoreunityhall.org for more information.

In 2019, The Memorial Apartments Corporation (MAC) and Somerset Development Company, LLC partnered to acquire, renovate and transform the former Empowerment Temple, located at 1505 Eutaw Place, into a Center for Community Arts, Education and Job-Training. Since completion of the renovation in 2022, the Unity Hall has brought neighbors from the surrounding communities together in Central West Baltimore (Bolton Hill, Madison Park, and Upton) through cultural and educational activities and job-training programs. The Unity Hall provides a venue for local musical performances, art exhibits, catered events and similar community-oriented activities, and hosts community organizations which provide employment training, referrals, and health and wellness services.

The building was originally built in 1964 as the Union Hall for Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers and the Empowerment Temple Church ran community programs out of the building several years ago. By the time of the building's acquisition in 2019, it had declined rapidly due to deferred maintenance and the three-level structure was in dire need of repair.

MAC, in conjunction with Somerset, a mission-driven for-profit firm, acquired the building in January 2019. MAC and Somerset have successfully partnered on other projects contiguous to the Unity Hall. The redevelopment of Linden Park Apartments (formerly the Memorial Apartments) preserved 266 units of affordable senior housing just across Jordan Alley from the Unity Hall on McMechen Street. The partnership transformed the once dilapidated building into a state-of-the-art senior apartment building rich in amenities and resident services. In addition, the partnership subdivided the original Linden Park site in order to build a new apartment building called The Jordan, featuring 62 units of market-rate apartments with a ground floor restaurant called The Tilted Row. The Tilted Row strengthened community ties by serving as an important neighborhood gathering place from June of 2019 until closing in 2025.

The preservation of affordable housing for seniors at Linden Park, and the new apartment units at The Jordan, contributed greatly to the realization of the vision of the neighborhood-based HUD Choice Neighborhoods planning process by creating mixed-income housing and increasing access to retail. The redevelopment of the Unity Hall further strengthens the neighborhood by adding important cultural significance and services tailored for the needs of the community.
 

The development of the Unity Hall as a Center for Community Arts, Education and Training was done collaboratively with community input to create a common vision and commitment to serve the needs of the surrounding communities. The Unity Hall is intended to break down barriers that have traditionally divided the community, and to build a healthy, safe neighborhood for all by providing offices and working spaces for organizations offering programs beneficial to the community. It is operated on a non-profit basis.

A Unity Hall Advisory Board was created in the spring of 2019 to advise MAC and their development partner Somerset which led the design and development aspects of the building renovation. The Advisory Board is currently made up of key stakeholders and community members: Ashiah Parker of MAC, Jernee Bramble, Eric Stephenson, and four members of Somerset Development Company — Nancy Hooff, Jim Campbell, Jake Stern, and Anya Kamara.

The approximately 30,000 square-foot building is divided into three levels. The main level provides office and program space for non-profits, community-based organizations, and an auditorium for community and cultural events, as well as exhibition space. The upper level offers artist studios, co-working space, and program and office space with shared amenities such as a breakroom, lounge, conference room, showers, and a wellness room. The lower level houses a Workforce Development Center providing training at no-cost/low-cost to underserved residents seeking employment, and features a commercial kitchen catering and special events operation which provides opportunities for on-the-job training. 

Baltimore Unity Hall showcases community-oriented tenants that offer services and programs in the arts, education, and workforce development fields. Our current tenants are:

     * No Boundaries Coalition of Central West Baltimore

     * Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

     * Arts Every Day

     * Charm: Voices of Baltimore Youth

     * Midtown Baltimore

The Unity Hall also proudly partners with organizations that regularly hold programming in our event spaces, providing access to state-of-the-art amenities and a vibrant community environment which removes barriers while fostering creativity and innovation, allowing for a deeper impact of their projects, events, and initiatives on the community. Among them are:  

     * The Living Well (TLW) — Offers programming that provides opportunities to interweave social health data, storytelling, healing, and mind-body expression as tools for healing the impact of societal racism.

     * Charm City Slam and Open Mic — The Baltimore region’s premier place to experience performance art hosts their monthly events every fourth Tuesday.

     * Free Baltimore Yoga — Hosts multiple weekly classes including several with a BIPOC community focus in collaboration with #RestEasyBby.

Construction of the Baltimore Unity Hall began in July of 2021 and the Center opened its doors to the community on June 17, 2022.

Learn more at www.baltimoreunityhall.org