The Sagamore Pendry hotel opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.
The 128-room luxury hotel, located in Fells Point on Recreation Pier, was once a known landmark from the “Homicide: Life on the Street” TV show filmed in Baltimore.
The project is spearheaded by Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank and will include a whiskey bar, steakhouse restaurant, and outdoor pool.
The hotel was “once famous as an entry point for immigrants to the US; the historic building, formerly home to a community recreation center, was a symbol not only of the city's all-American heritage and influence but of its prospects and potential as well,” according to a news release.
“We had to literally build a pier under the pier and then jack the old pier onto that pier and it took probably 18 months. So think about it, you're almost building a piece of land to build this wonderful structure on and frankly we were probably three or four years away from the thing falling into the water,” said Scott Plank, CEO of War Horse LLC.
In two years, Sagamore Development transformed the one-time dance hall and port of entry built in 1914 into a Pendry Hotel.
“This new Sagamore Pendry Baltimore has added more than 200 jobs to the City and 75 percent of those jobs have been filled by Baltimore City residents. During construction, more than 930 workers helped to rebuild this facility while striving to preserve this beautiful and wonderful building,” said Governor Larry Hogan.
With custom furnishings and close attention to detail, the hotel is touted as the city's most anticipated hospitality offering, but to Kevin and Scott Plank, the investment is part of their overall mission to better Baltimore and make it a destination city.
"Port Covington, what Sagamore and the team is doing, our Anthem House that we're working on, so many of these things are because we love the city, we believe in the city and we believe there's so much more to come,” said Plank.
Port Covington, the $5 billion urban redevelopment project, is one of Kevin Plank's more expensive investments. The transformation of the rec pier cost an estimated $60 million.
A one-night stay at Sagamore Pendry Baltimore runs around $300. The hotel also includes an Italian restaurant, whiskey bar, and private pool deck. The Rec Pier Chop House opens on Saturday.
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