BALTIMORE, January 13, 1997—Visitors to Baltimore's Inner Harbor can't help wondering what's the story behind the turn-of-the-century red-brick building with the large sign identifying it as the Power Plant. The building, located between Baltimore's Little Italy and the National Aquarium, has been empty since it failed as a Six Flags indoor amusement park back in the 1980s.
This former streetcar power generating plant was given a second opportunity as an entertainment attraction after Baltimore city officials approved a 75-year lease with the Cordish Company.
The new Metropolis at the Power Plant entertainment complex will likely feature a Hard Rock Cafe; a Barnes & Noble bookstore; a Second City comedy club; Dive, a submarine-theme restaurant; Sega Dreamworks, a virtual-reality arcade; and a House of Blues or Blue Note nightclub. The city has agreed to build a pedestrian bridge and bus turnaround.
Baltimore's Inner Harbor receives about 18 million visitors each year. The Metropolis at the Power Plant will be joined by Disney's Port Discovery Children's Museum and the Christopher Columbus Center's Hall of Exploration as new attractions east of the National Aquarium. All are scheduled to open before 1998. Proposals are in place to build several restaurants at the west end of the Inner Harbor and a 34-story $139 million hotel on Pratt Street, directly across from the Metropolis at the Power Plant.