On Thursday, August 26, 2010 the University of Baltimore officially broke ground on construction of the new John & Frances Angelos Law Center. The facility located on campus at the intersection of Charles Street and Mt. Royal Avenue is projected to open in early 2013 and will transform the Central Baltimore Campus like no other structure in the area. Who’s who in Maryland leadership was on hand to celebrate this great milestone. Some in attendance were: Governor Martin O’Malley and first Lady and District Court Judge Katie O’Malley (UB Alum 1991), Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Congressman John Sarbanes, State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., State Senator’s Catherine E. Pugh, and Nathaniel J. McFadden, State Delegates, Shawn Z. Tarrant, Adrienne A. Jones, Talmadge Branch, Sandy Rosenberg and Keith E. Haynes. Representing Baltimore City government was City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, William E. “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland along with Regent, A. Dwight Pettit, Esquire.
University of Baltimore’s School of Law was established in 1925 and received full accreditation by the American Bar Association in 1982 and in 1988 joined the University System of Maryland. Currently the Law School ranks as the sixth-largest public law school in America with enrollment exceeding 1000 students. Its esteemed Alumni account for about one-third of Maryland’s District & Circuit Court Judges, and more than one-third of Maryland’s elected state’s attorneys plus several governors, US Vice President, US Congressional representatives and many other elected leaders.
The new facility received its largest private gift in its history from Peter Angelos, Alumnus, LL.B, (1961) in the total amount of $10 million. That gift and an additional $5 million raised privately seeded the projected construction cost of $107 million of which the majority cost is being funded through the University System of Maryland by the State of Maryland. The new facility has been designed as one of the greenest buildings in the Baltimore metropolitan region with innovative air handling systems. In addition, the active capture of light and water and recycling of all building material that would otherwise have gone to waste may push the LEED rating to platinum which is the highest rating bestowed by the US Green Building Council on vertical construction.
Facts about the Center
- Whiting-Turner Contractors-General Contractor
- 190,000 square feet of new construction
- 12 stories
- central atrium featuring natural light, greenery, zones for quiet contemplation and group interaction
- 300-seat moot courtroom and event space
- 15 classrooms, all with advanced technology
- 29 large- and small-group study spaces
- home to all of UB's clinical services and law-related centers
- 32,000 square-foot library
- cutting-edge technologies for heating and cooling
- rainwater capture and re-use
- 1,231 jobs, generating more than $174 million in economic activity
- commitment to recycle at least 50 percent of construction materials and to use at least 10 percent recycled materials in the building
- Minority Business Enterprise Goal-25%
UB President Robert L. Bogomolny called for a path breaking building that will provide a strong foundation for those activities that are central to the School of Law's mission: community involvement, public interest and diversity.
"As an educational institution, we envision a building whose design teaches critical lessons about how to create and sustain healthy urban environments," Bogomolny said. "As an institution committed to excellence, we envision a signature building whose materials reflect the quality of our aspirations."
Wayne R. Frazier, Sr. President of MWMCA said, “As a resident of Baltimore, having UB anchor central Baltimore city’s Mt. Vernon’s cultural district is perhaps the most significant asset to the area in terms of driving a higher education/livable community, improving area property values, and generating ancillary revenue for the city. Furthermore, located next to a major transportation hub drives future development to the entire area. Also, selecting Whiting-Turner as the general contractor is a major boost to minority contractors because they understand breath- taking designs and are totally committed to minority inclusion. Finally, I am so proud of the major gift given by Peter Anglos to the university that inspired him and our great Governor Martin O’Malley for leading state funding that ensures a state of the art facility for future generations of brilliant minds to nurture.”
