McKeldin Plaza

McKeldin Plaza. . , Welcome to McKeldin Plaza, dedicated to Theodore R. McKeldin, a pioneer in urban development who served multiple terms as Baltimore Mayor and Governor and who, in May of 1963, first proposed the development of the Inner Harbor., When it first opened in 1982, the plaza design featured a large fountain with cascading water that provided a link between the Inner Harbor and Convention Center. The Waterfall fountain was provided through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey M. Meyerhoff and the Citizens of Baltimore. Over the years, as Downtown expanded its office district and became a popular visitor destination, the Plaza became an important civic gathering spot where Baltimoreans celebrated holidays and watched parades or exercised their First Amendment freedoms to speak out about important news., Today, McKeldin Plaza sits in one of the country's fastest-growing population and employment centers. Its current design is the result of a community-led process to create a more open and adaptable space that can be used, all year long, for events, concerts, picnics, and large gatherings. Where once there was concrete, there is now a Chesapeake Bay-friendly lawn and shade trees. Materials from the old fountain have been repurposed into architectural elements that frame the space, which is now a more open and welcoming visual gateway into Downtown Baltimore from the south.