T. Rowe Price Headquarters

Taking advantage of its prominent site at the gateway to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the design for T. Rowe Price’s Headquarters provides a distinctive global headquarters for the Baltimore-based investment management firm.

Composed of two buildings linked by a lobby atrium, the project takes advantage of its location on the waterfront, offering a walkable connection between a landscaped central plaza and the adjacent 4.5-acre Point Park. The pedestrian-scaled structures are clad in timeless materials such as metal and glass, and incorporate wood and other natural materials at the entrance. Large windows in the lobby atrium and office spaces offer views of the harbor and bring natural light into the interior spaces.

The project is targeting LEED Gold and also includes retail and amenity spaces in addition to its office program. Located on the waterfront to the west of Wills Wharf and south of the Central Plaza and the Exelon Building, the headquarters is a part of Harbor Point, a 27-acre waterfront neighborhood currently under development. The mixed-use community will ultimately encompass three million square feet of office, retail, residential, and hotel uses, as well as 9.5 acres of open space. New public infrastructure in the form of public roads, utilities, and an extension of the waterfront promenade will complement privately financed buildings and public parking.

Baltimore’s inner harbor has been the city’s gateway to the world for over a century. However, as industry declined post 1950 and the harbor became too shallow for larger ships, the city’s urban edge suffered the most, rendering much of its waterfront possibly too derelict to redevelop for generations. For Harbor Point, a major brownfield redevelopment would launch a new chapter in the rebirth of Baltimore’s edge that is not one of importing, but one defined by place, connectivity and community.

The high-tech multi-media site cap and new groundwater control system installed to redevelop the former brownfield enabled a healthy new landscape that could be planted with species indigenous to the local environment, reconnecting Baltimore’s waterfront to its origins. The landscaping prioritizes a healthy and resilient waterfront while tying the new development to its environmental roots, reinforcing T. Rowe Price’s own identity as a company founded and based in Baltimore.

The result of the brownfield redevelopment and landscaping process is a vibrant waterfront park which seamlessing blends into the existing city, reconnecting citizens to their harbor by providing a comfortable and sustainable point of contact. The project has become a significant part of the revitalization effort of the Harbor Point area and enhances the urban fabric of Baltimore, acting as a catalyst for urban renewal and environmental protection.