This is to request a meeting with Governor Ehrlich (or Mayor O'Malley) to address the urgent matter of the impending demolition of the historic Monumental Motorcar Company by the University of Baltimore (UB). Unfortunately, new history is about to be made as soon as April 15th: 

• UB is the FIRST state agency to disregard the Maryland Historical Trust. The Trust has reviewed 75,000 development plans since 1985 and has reached agreement on all of them, except this one.
• UB is the FIRST state agency to propose to demolish an historic structure in a Certified State Heritage Area.
• This is the FIRST time in State History that the Maryland Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has had to meet. It recommended that the University preserve the Odorite.
• The Odorite is in Baltimore’s FIRST local historic district (the Mt. Vernon Historic District)

The University’s claim that saving the building would significantly drive up costs is disingenuous and incorrect. The Davis-Buckley design and cost study has given a solid example of how it can be done for the same or less that the University’s current design plan. What this case clearly demonstrates is that unlike any other owner of historic properties here in Baltimore, a state institution can unilaterally move to demolish a historic building with impunity.

It would be a great shame for Governor Ehrlich (or Mayor O'Malley) to miss a clear opportunity to take the side of historic preservation at zero cost. For this reason, we ask for your help in preventing the ill-advised demolition of the Monumental Motorcar (Odorite) building and in assisting the University of Baltimore in finding a preservation-based solution for its new student center that includes one of our neighborhood’s treasured historic buildings.

We will make ourselves available on short notice and look forward to your response,

Your name and phone

(Let us know if you get any response: savetheodorite@yahoo.com  or call the number on the home page)