Build, Reuse, And Build Again

"When developer Bernard Manekin and his partners converted the old Maryland Casualty Co. headquarters to a shopping and office center in the early 1970s, they were ahead of their time.

There weren't many examples of old buildings being recycled for new uses, in Baltimore or elsewhere in the country, during those years. Manekin's venture, the Rotunda at 711 W. 40th St., became both an anchor and an amenity for the neighborhoods around it.

Now new owners are seeking to build on that pioneering effort and use the 11.5-acre Rotunda property to create the next generation of urban development, while preserving the landmark structure that made it so distinctive in the first place."