Mayor Brandon Scott surveyed the room Monday morning on the 27th floor of the Baltimore World Trade Center and had an idea.

“I think I should work out of here a couple days a week,” Scott said to chuckles.

The mayor, who called the Inner Harbor’s panoramic observation deck “one of my favorite places to go,” will have his chance to work from way, way above: Create Baltimore, formerly known as the Baltimore Office and Promotion of the Arts (BOPA), has agreed in principle to continue operating the city landmark “for years to come,” said Create Baltimore CEO Robyn Murphy.

The Top of the World, where visitors can see up to 30 miles away depending on weather conditions, was set to close in May after the state of Maryland’s 20-year lease to BOPA expired. A temporary memorandum of understanding allowed operations to continue through November.

The terms of the new contract extension, including its length, are still being worked out, according to Barbara Hauck, Create Baltimore‘s communications manager.

Monday’s press conference also marked the official rebranding of BOPA to Create Baltimore, which the city’s Board of Estimates approved in June. The new name reflects the nonprofit organization’s commitment to ensuring Baltimoreans and their neighborhoods “have access to the inspiration and opportunity that creativity provides,” Murphy said.

“The name Create Baltimore demonstrates action, collaboration and conviction that when Baltimore’s creatives thrive, we all rise,” she said.

Create Baltimore’s launch follows turmoil in recent years at the quasi-governmental agency tasked with promoting Baltimore’s vast arts ecosystem, from events and arts districts to the artists who call the city home.

In November 2024, the city terminated its contract with BOPA over insolvency concerns and rising tensions between the two sides. Murphy then replaced embattled BOPA CEO Rachel Graham before being named permanent chief executive in July.

Murphy touted her group’s recent “momentum,” which was backed up on Monday by new foot traffic figures for Create Baltimore-run facilities. Attendance for the Baltimore Farmers’ Market under the Jones Falls Expressway is up more than 65% year-over-year, from 34,896 to 57,600. Meanwhile, the Top of the World’s visitorship increased from 27,544 to 38,377 in the same period.

The organization also spearheaded a reimagined Artscape in May, moving the annual arts festival from Mount Vernon and Station North to downtown.

Create Baltimore will soon begin to fundraise to bring upgrades to the Top of the World, Murphy said, including updated exhibits, digital kiosks and more educational programming in partnership with the Living Classrooms Foundation.

“The Top of the World belongs to everyone, and we are thrilled to ensure that it will remain open to the public for years to come,” she said.

Scott said Create Baltimore will continue to work in tandem with the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment (MOACE), which he created in April to unify arts, events, nightlife and film under one strategy. When Murphy’s team needs logistical help, they turn to MOACE, he said.

Create Baltimore “can’t direct city services. They can’t close off streets. They can’t pull permits. They can’t do all of those things. You’re talking about working together as a team, and now we’re just going to have an even stronger, more awesome culture team here in the city of Baltimore,” Scott said.

During his remarks, Scott made his “daily” pitch to prospective movers who should consider Baltimore as their next home — including what was likely a veiled dig at President Donald Trump, who recently called the city “a hellhole,” despite declining crime figures.

“If you’re living in another place and you’re looking to move to a city where we respect everyone’s rights — we want people to live and be themselves as long as they’re not committing crimes — move to Baltimore,” Scott said. “If you don’t want to live in a city where someone would just, like, tear down stuff because he wakes up and wants to do that, to our folks in the South and D.C., move to Baltimore.”