L
ast week the Ynot Lot reopened with the “Soft Gym” installation at 101 W. North Ave., injecting new life into a dormant corner of Station North. MCB Real Estate, which owns the land, bought the 0.187‑acre parcel for $1.075 million in 2022 and razed a 1961 bank branch. While the company has not yet announced a replacement structure, it has leased the site to the Central Baltimore Partnership for community programming, echoing its strategy at Inner Harbor.
The partnership is using the corner parcel to replace the former Ynot Lot at Charles St. and North Ave. Soft Gym, by Daniel Wickerham and Malcolm Lomax, is the fourth of five installations funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $1 million Inviting Light initiative. The installation frames the block, turning the empty lot into a flexible events space.
MCB has also acquired two additional Station North properties: 1817 Maryland Ave., a four‑story apartment building bought for $2.4 million in 2021, and 1811 Maryland Ave., a former auto‑repair shop purchased for $1.175 million. Together with 101 W. North, these parcels total over $4.6 million, making MCB one of the district’s largest landholders.
The 1817 Maryland building is occupied; the 1811 Maryland shop remains vacant but still bears former business names. A nearby parking lot belongs to the Maryland Institute College of Art, offering further redevelopment potential.
During the Nov. 12 Inviting Light ceremony, community leaders praised MCB’s collaboration with the Central Baltimore Partnership, noting how public art can activate urban spaces and spur development. Mayor Brandon Scott highlighted the installations’ diversity and their reflection of Baltimore’s spirit, calling the renaissance “community‑driven.”
Bloomberg Philanthropies has awarded $1 million to 17 cities over the past decade to support public art projects. CEO Patricia Harris said the program, inspired by Bloomberg’s NYC tenure, strengthens neighborhoods and supports small businesses, as seen in Station North.
Soft Gym is described as a “gym, sculpture, and social experiment,” inviting visitors to explore shared spaces. The installation will be open to the public on specific evenings: 6–8 p.m. Nov. 21, 22; Dec. 5, 6, 12; and noon–8 p.m. Dec. 13, with additional hours as events are scheduled.
Other Inviting Light works include Zoe Charlton’s “Third Watch” at North Avenue Market, Phaan Howng’s “Big Ass Snake(Plant)s on a Plane” at 1714 N. Charles St., Tony Shore’s “Aurora” at 1817 N. Charles St., and the upcoming Ekene Ijeoma’s “Peacemaker” at 1707‑1709 Barclay St.
