Photo Courtesy: Gallagher and Associates

On April 17, 2018, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh helped kickoff a $15 million capital and endowment campaign to transform the inoperative Baltimore Public Works Museum into an interactive experience for all ages. While half of the building, located along the Inner Harbor waterfront, has not been used for several years, the northern wing has quietly housed a fully operational sewage pump station since 1915.

The master plan for the new Public Works Experience calls for two levels of interactive exhibits as well as an engaging streetscape experience along the heritage walkway and within sight of Pier 6. Visitors will learn about the web of infrastructure, such as water and sewer treatment, roads, bridges, electrical network, and more, that is easy to take for granted but literally keeps our world moving. Planned exhibits include People on the Move, Water is Life, the Clean City and Power to the People. The facility also plans to light up the original boiler smokestack as a beacon, offering a light city type experience all year long.

The goal of the new facility focuses on engaging audiences and offering educational opportunities about the essential infrastructure that people depend on every day. The planned Public Works Experience will also enhance the economic viability of the Inner Harbor and serve as a springboard in the STEM fields.

For now, the interior of the dated museum has been re-envisioned through the sweat equity of local municipal, engineering and contracting personnel representing both the public and private sectors. This intermediate renovation includes updated and expanded exhibits, a brighter and welcoming streetscape play area, and other improvements that will allow the building to be used as event space and, soon, open for limited docent-led tours.