PNC Bank – Harbor East

History
Dating back to the turn of the last century, this building was built as a furniture warehouse.^[1] The warehouse is located in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore which was marked by numerous warehouses from the same time period.^[2]

(Re)Developer
PNC Financial Inc. was created in 1982 from the merger of Pittsburgh National Corporation and Provident National Corporation. Since 2000, PNC has been focused on being greener. From green banking to building LEED-certified new branches, the bank also focuses on construction with recycled materials and structures.^[3]

The architectural firm that adapted the warehouse was Gensler. The Baltimore location has handled projects across the United States.

Outcome
The redevelopment of Harbor East started in 1983 when Baltimore city officials hired a planning team to envision the new Inner Harbor.^[4] Gensler restored the warehouse while at the same time incorporated PNC hallmark traits. The 3,270-square-foot bank branch includes a retail banking area, offices, and a conference room. The height of the basement was lowered so as to allow the retail space to meet ground level. Numerous materials from the warehouse were reused in the renovation and will be coupled with the water- and energy-saving mechanical systems for the certification process to be awarded LEED Gold.<sup>[5]

[1]</sup>Architectural Record
^[2]Wikipedia
^[3]PNC
^[4]Wikipedia
^[5]Architectural Record

Images courtesy of Architectural Record.