July 1, 2026:
Walking around City Dock, it’s hard to ignore the ongoing construction. It’s a huge project including important resiliency work that we all support. But the resiliency measures are only part of the story. The project proposal also includes a large new Maritime Welcome Center (MWC), to be constructed at the water’s edge, attached to the historic Burtis House. It’s the size and massing of the MWC that we oppose – it’s too big for the space and will block a substantial portion of the view of the bay.
So where do things stand? There is a lot that we know, and a lot that we still don’t know.
We know the project is advancing and important resiliency work is underway. We don’t know if, or to what extent, the proposed MWC relates to the resiliency work.
We know that Burtis House – the only remaining historic property in the project area – is being repurposed primarily as a bathroom, locker room, and storage facility. We don’t know the final program for the MWC addition, or the extent to which it will be publicly accessible.
We know that the city maintains that the MWC has been reduced in size, but we don’t know what the current plans are because they are not available to the public on the city’s online tracking system. The permit (which is publicly available) lists the two buildings totaling 6,800 sq feet. Given that Burtis House measures roughly 2,000 sq feet, the MWC would be more than twice the size of the historic building to which it is attached.
Burtis House was temporarily moved while the city prepared the raised foundation for the historic structure. While it was in its temporary location, it occupied a space similar to where the proposed MWC would sit (give or take six feet).
The impact of this building on the view of the bay and the historic sense of openness at City Dock promises to be substantial. The City is not particularly concerned about this, but we are. The view and openness connects our city to the water, and along with the many historic buildings downtown, it is a big part of Annapolis’ charm.
One of my favorite things about summer at Historic Annapolis is welcoming a new group of college interns. Their enthusiasm, creativity, and fresh perspectives make them a valuable part of our team. This summer, HA is hosting four interns from across the country majoring in architecture, history, or museum studies.
After a short walk downtown and a brief orientation of the project, a few of the interns and I talked about why the view matters so much and how views to and from City Dock have become part of our cultural identity. Later, I tasked Ciel Smith, a rising senior architecture student from Princeton University, to use her skills to help visualize what it would mean to lose this historic and defining viewscape. I also asked whether there might be a way to modify the city’s concept without altering the site plan or causing unnecessary delays to the critical resiliency work. This is what she came up with:
MWC and viewshed implications
Public information on the project is provided through the Annapolis City Dock website. There are few images of the MWC and information about how the City Dock Project will appear from afar at eye level is limited. Working with the most recent images of the MWC (two elevations and one plan, that indicate an approximately 60-foot-wide building), we created a digital model of the building and City Dock, allowing us to create a rendering representative of what someone would see as they approach the City Dock from Kunta Kinte. This also accounts for the four-foot berm planned at the water’s edge to provide flood protection.
It’s immediately apparent in this rendering how much of an impact the MWC would have on the view. And much like past decisions from the construction of the Halsey Field House to the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel, the sense of openness and connectivity to the water is shrinking.
We are still seeking modifications to the building to address this visual impact without altering the site plan, whether by reducing the overall size of the building or removing the second gable that is closest to the park to provide a publicly accessible elevated view. And we still attest that it is an addition, not a separate structure – an important distinction as it relates to the HPC approval process and the basis of our legal challenge. It is not too late to prioritize the view.
Our community continues to tell us, loud and clear, that advocacy and preservation are central to our mission. We always welcome the opportunity to engage with the City on this and other projects, to ensure that Annapolis’s unique character and sense of place that connects yesterday with today and tomorrow continues to endure.
Preservation and development can peacefully coexist, and change can be positive when pursued thoughtfully and respectfully.
Warm regards,
Karen
For more about Ciel’s observations, please click here.