Last Monday, city officials pushed dozens of artists out of the Bell Foundry art space in Station North due to fire code violations. Among the unfortunate creatives suddenly left without studios and practice space were the dedicated members of the Baltimore Rock Opera Society.

The rock opera troupe affectionately known as BROS has been around since 2007 and had been working out of a leased first-floor space in the Bell Foundry building for four years. Its volunteer members built their facility up and had used it to construct their sets and decorations and, rather importantly, to practice.

The city launched its evictions days after a fire killed dozens in Oakland who were living and working in a similar DIY space called “Ghost Ship.” Officials said the fire code violations they discovered in the Bell Foundry included a lack of a valid permit, unsafe conditions, use of flammables and combustibles and unlawful removal of ceiling beams. A spokesman denied any tie between their decision to condemn the building and the Oakland fire.

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