Copycat Building
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The Copycat Building is a former manufacturing warehouse at 1501 Guilford Ave, Baltimore, Maryland, today used as an artists' studio and living space. Built in 1897, it is home to the city's creative class and a landmark of the Station North Arts and Entertainment District.
It earned the nickname "the Copycat" for a billboard advertising the Copy Cat printing company that stood on its roof for years.[1] The building was purchased by Charles Lankford in 1983 for $225,000. At the time it housed a variety of light-industrial tenants, which Lankford sought to retain.
During the
Tenants
"After a while we decided, as an experiment, to take one floor and convert it into artist studios, since we were so close to Maryland Institute College of Art," Lankford says. "Over time, everybody started 'cheating'--instead of renting an apartment and a studio, they would save money by living in their studios." Lankford, who added a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) industrial building at 419 E. Oliver St. that has also come to house artists to his portfolio in 1983, says he has "never hidden" from the city that artists have been working and living in his buildings. But he has had run-ins with various cities agencies over its legality. As a first step to getting his buildings "legit," he launched his own campaign to change the area's zoning from industrial to residential three years ago—only to be told that such a move was illegal. "There was no mechanism to allow this type of change," Lankford says. "You couldn't go from industrial to residential."
— Brennen Jensen, "Industry to Easels", Baltimore City Paper
The Copycat Building was home to The
Bands that have performed in the warehouse include:
.Today, the Copycat is still home to many young artists, musicians, filmmakers, and professionals looking for a large space to create, study, and live in the city. Many residents use their living spaces to host art and music-related events.
External links
References
- Baltimore City Paper May 8, 2002 Industry to Easels: Arts-District Designation Easing Conversion of Factories to Studios
- ^ Jensen, Brennen. "Your Art Here: Will the Station North Arts District Paint a Brighter Future for The Baltimore Blast" Archived 2004-08-24 at the Wayback Machine, "Baltimore City Paper", July 30, 2003. Accessed May 17, 2007.
- ^ Miller, Hallie (2020-12-01). "During Maryland rent moratorium, more landlords using legal 'loophole' as means to evict". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
- ^ Miller, Hallie (2021-12-03). "Maryland Court of Appeals rules in favor of Copycat landlord, saying he can evict without rental license". Retrieved 2021-12-04.
- ^ Flaks, Rob (23 Mar 2023). "Housing advocates praise passage of the Rental Licensing Accountability Act". Archived from the original on 27 Mar 2023. Retrieved 2021-12-04.