Two approaches to transforming abandoned buildings in Baltimore City

By Sheilah Kast,

Melissa Gerr

Published August 14, 2024 at 10:07 AM EDT

400 E. Biddle St. (Above) before rehabilitation, 400 E. Biddle St. (Below) after rehabilitation. Photo: ReBUILD Metro

Thirteen thousand abandoned buildings and even more vacant lots blemish Baltimore City. We talk with Sean Closkey, president of ReBUILD Metro. The nonprofit has transformed more than 500 abandoned buildings and lots in East Baltimore, all led by neighbor input.

And Onyx Development’s Rian Hargrave believes access to quality homes in safe neighborhoods is a human right. She tells us how she's working to make it reality for more people in Baltimore City.

Links: ReBUILD Metro planning, Onyx Development, Baltimore City Vacants Property Reduction Strategy, a plan to eradicate vacants within 15 years.

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Sheilah Kast

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.

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Melissa Gerr

Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'

See stories by Melissa Gerr