The collegiate Gothic high school building with a 150-foot-tall stone tower has stood on a hill in Northeast Baltimore for nearly a century.

Now the historic building that houses one of the city’s selective high schools is slated for a face-lift that would wrap a back corner of the building in an austere modern facade.

That design for Baltimore City College is undergoing its final review for the public on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the school and online.

Renderings of the design for the updated campus of Baltimore City College in East Baltimore. The final review of the building design and pre-construction kick-off are slated for Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
A planned addition on the school's back rear corner would encase a gym and auxiliary gym in modern black-and-tan materials. (Baltimore City College)

One view of the renovation design is now available on the school’s website. Additional renderings by the Fairfax, Virginia-based architecture firm Samaha Associates show a pair of tennis courts will be replaced with a black-and-tan addition that connects the main building to the student parking lot. A staircase that runs alongside the addition leads to a grassy seating area and glass pavilion.

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The renovations are expected to begin this summer and be completed in three years. City College students will move to the University of Baltimore campus during the renovations.

The City College renovations are among a series of updates to four Baltimore City public high schools over the next several years.

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Historic Baltimore high schools are getting a face-lift. Parents and alumni want more.

Renderings of the design for the updated campus of Baltimore City College in East Baltimore. The final review of the building design and pre-construction kick-off are slated for Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
Renderings show the spot currently occupied by tennis courts will become a seating area with a glass pavilion. (Baltimore City College)
Renderings of the design for the updated campus of Baltimore City College in East Baltimore. The final review of the building design and pre-construction kick-off are slated for Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
A rendering shows how the school would look from Loch Raven Boulevard. (Baltimore City College)
Renderings of the design for the updated campus of Baltimore City College in East Baltimore. The final review of the building design and pre-construction kick-off are slated for Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
A rendering shows an addition as it would appear from the football field. (Baltimore City College)

The renovations to Frederick Douglass High School have already begun, with secrets discovered inside a safe in the school during the construction process.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.