UMB breaks ground on $120M Social Work building downtown

BALTIMORE — The University of Maryland, Baltimore broke ground Thursday on a major new School of Social Work building on the westside of downtown.

The six-story, 127,000-square-foot building, which is costing $120 million, will be on Lexington Street at Greene Street. It's set to start construction in December and expected to open in late summer of 2027.

The university is also working with developers to turn more spaces along West Lexington Street into "housing, stores, and research space," noted a press release - so the new Social Work building is just the kick-off to "a new wave of activity and construction over the next several years on the northern edge of UMB's campus along West Lexington Street."

The building will combine two UMB programs - the Master of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy - that are currently in three separate locations, UMB said in a press release.

Intended to "serve as a bridge between UMB and the surrounding community," the building will have state-of-the-art classrooms and research spaces, a coffee lounge, bike lockers and showers, and communal gathering areas.

School of Social Work Judy Postmus said in a statement that "it will be a vibrant community hub where students, faculty, and local partners come together."

It will also be the first net-zero emissions building for all of University System of Maryland, and for downtown Baltimore.