On May 5, Saint Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, celebrated the groundbreaking for Bon Secours Gibbons Apartments, the first project at Gibbons Commons, a 32-acre mixed-use community. The area is the former site of Cardinal Gibbons High School, named for James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore from 1877 to 1921. Saint Agnes is part of Ascension, the nation's largest Catholic and non-profit health system. Other partners in the project are the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Catholic Charities, and Bon Secours Baltimore Health System.
"Saint Agnes is committed to improving the health of our community, and that means much more than caring for people when they're sick or injured," said Bonnie Phipps, Senior Vice President, Ascension Health, and Group Operating Executive over Saint Agnes HealthCare. "When Saint Agnes bought the Cardinal Gibbons High School property from the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2012, we had an ambitious vision to create a truly valuable community asset that would improve local residents' quality of life.
"Thanks to the commitment and collaboration of our partners, we're excited to see the first phase of our vision begin to materialize into Gibbons Commons."
"More than 130 state and community leaders, neighborhood residents, and Saint Agnes associates and physicians attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes; Antonio Hayes and Patrick Young, members of the Maryland legislature; Leon Pinkett, Baltimore Assistant Deputy Mayor for Economic and Neighborhood Development; Paul Graziano, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Baltimore City and Commissioner of the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development; and three members of the Baltimore City Council.
The four-story Bon Secours Gibbons Apartments will offer 80 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments; community and recreational space; and underground parking for all residents. Catholic Charities USA is also developing plans to provide housing at Gibbons Commons, with two- and three-bedroom apartments for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.
Grounded in the need to provide the southwest Baltimore area a safe and healthy place to live, work, play and learn, Gibbons Commons will provide not only community housing, but also food options and office space.
In addition, a large portion of the property will be dedicated to recreational and green space, including the Babe Ruth Field, where baseball legend Babe Ruth played as a young man while attending and living at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, the Catholic school and orphanage that was succeeded by Cardinal Gibbons High School; the Cardinal Gibbons gym; and a commemorative courtyard honoring the high school and its alumni.
More details on Gibbons Commons:
- Royal Farms has signed a Letter of Intent to partner at Gibbons Commons and will provide affordable, fresh food options to the community through its Fresh Kitchen. The southwest Baltimore community continues to experience high rates of preventable diseases (such as cardiovascular disease and obesity). Saint Agnes anticipates that providing a readily available healthy food option on campus, such as Royal Farms' Fresh Kitchen, will give community residents the opportunity to make smarter nutritional choices that could lead to better overall health.
- The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has been working with Saint Agnes since 2013 on a plan to preserve and enhance the Babe Ruth Field. The field will be positioned on the exact site where Ruth played in the early 1900s, and will be expanded to provide space for community residents to play baseball, football and lacrosse. The foundation has set a goal to build Youth Development Parks across the country, providing at-risk youth with clean, safe places to play and learn. The Babe Ruth Field is intended to inspire young people in the community and help educate them about leadership, work ethic, responsibility and healthy living.
- The Y of Central Maryland will manage Babe Ruth Field and work closely with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation to support youth and sports programming, encouraging activity and exercise within the community. The Y is also considering the opportunity to renovate the 30,000-square-foot Cardinal Gibbons gym into a full-service family center, including a warm-water pool, a gymnasium and full cardio and strength fitness floor, group exercise rooms, multi-purpose family/youth space, locker rooms and community gathering space.
- The Weber House, one of the original buildings on the property, is zoned for 25,000-50,000 square feet of office space to include Saint Agnes administrative associates; Kibby's, a sports-themed restaurant celebrating Babe Ruth's legacy; and other retail space, all projected for opening in 2017.
The groundbreaking was covered locally by the Baltimore Business Journal and WBAL radio.
