Stadium Authority seeks new tenant for Sports Legends Museum space

13 August 2015

The Maryland Stadium Authority is considering new tenants for state-owned space the Sports Legends Museum occupies in the former Camden Station building.

The stadium authority issued a request for prospective tenants interested in the 22,500-square-foot space, which is in the basement and on the first floor of the historic three-story building at 301 W. Camden St. The property is adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The Sports Legends Museum opened in 2005 and has been renting the space on a month-to-month basis since its lease expired in April, said Michael Frenz, the stadium authority's executive director. The Sports Legends Museum pays about $20,000 per month to lease the 22,500-square-foot space, Frenz said, and the stadium authority wants to increase the rent.

"I think they would like to stay,” he said of the museum. "For them, it honestly is a budget issue. There’s a limit to what they can pay.”

Mike Gibbons, the museum's executive director, said the attraction intends to stay and is not yet considering alternative spaces. He added the museum is putting together a proposal for the stadium authority and discussing what rent structure it could manage.

"If things were to not work out in our favor then I think that we would have sufficient time to come up with a contingency plan,” Gibbons said.

The Sports Legends Museum had struggled to make its rent payments in the past. Originally the museum's lease term was 20 years, but it was broken up into five-year segments as part of a deal in which the state forgave $444,000 in unpaid rent. Gibbons said it's routine for the stadium authority to consider alternate tenants every five years.

"Sports Legends will continue to be at Camden Yards,” Gibbons said. "For us, it’s just part of business."

The Sports Legends Museum is the sister museum to the Babe Ruth Birthplace, which just underwent a large-scale renovation. The museum also includes a retail shop.

The Maryland Stadium Authority has already received some inquiries, Frenz said. He declined to name the prospective tenants. Proposals are due by 3:30 p.m. Sept. 15.

Camden Station houses Geppi’s Entertainment Museum on the second and third floors. Geppi's lease expires in September 2016 and the museum has the option to renew, a decision it must make by next month, Frenz said.

Camden Station was built in 1856 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The building was completely refurbished by the state prior to Sports Legends' opening.

 

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