PROJECT  Glen Arm Railroad Station

ARCHITECT  brennan+company architects

LOCATION  Glen Arm, Maryland, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  5/1/2025

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Rob Brennan AIA / Lili Mundroff Associate AIA / Kevin Johnson Associate AIA
OWNER/CLIENT  BTR Capital Group
CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Flanagan Enterprise LLC
PHOTOGRAPHER  Anne Gummerson
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
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STRUCTURAL ENGINEER  Sweeney Engineering
MECHANICAL ENGINEER  Green Building Energy Engineers
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER  Green Building Energy Engineers
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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT  
Located in the Long Green Valley National Register Historic District, the Glen Arm Railroad Station was constructed by the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad in 1909 on the site of an existing railroad station built by the Baltimore and Lehigh Railroad Company.

The Glen Arm Station, also known as the Ma-Pa Whistle Stop, was a station on the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad serving commercial freight hauling and passenger transportation. The historic significance of the former station at Glen Arm is associated with transportation history of Baltimore County and its role in the development and expansion of agricultural and manufacturing industry that thrived in the Long Green Valley during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The station, a Baltimore County Historic Landmark, is notable as one of the last surviving examples of a rural train station with late Victorian style details such as wooden shingles and large eave overhangs with decorative brackets. It is unique as it is the only surviving station associated with the rail line that retains the integrity of setting and architecture. It was constructed per Pennsylvania Railroad standard station type specifications.

The station had been poorly renovated into a short-order restaurant about 1969 and abandoned in the early 2000s. The vacant building suffered significant deterioration. The structure was compromised as the floor and foundation framing rotted and collapsed. Walls and roof framing were exposed along with broken and missing windows and doors. Two shoddy additions had been built along the former railroad right of way, concealing the original doors and station master's bay window.

The restoration and renovation of the building transformed the historic station into a coffee shop and cafe that serves the Long Green Valley community. The new work maintains the integrity of the former station's simplicity of rectangular plan with new uses in the former waiting room, freight room, ticket office, and former station master area. Although all interior plaster finishes had been lost in the former waiting room, the goal was to retain the distinction between this as a more formal, painted /drywall finished room and the freight room, where wide cedar boards were refurbished and sealed to retain the distinction. The rehabilitation consisted of lifting and leveling the structure and pouring a new structural slab. Exterior and interior details were preserved. Architectural elements and details, including windows, doors, casing, brackets and historic paint colors were replicated in-kind per NPS Preservation Standards. The restoration included hvac, plumbing, electric, water, and septic. The work allowed for site pedestrian improvements as a performance and food truck venue.

The "Roast" at Glen Arm has become the coffee place for the nearby Glen Arm and Long Green Valley community. Meetups at the station take advantage of this stop along Glen Arm Road for coffee and snacks inside, or some ice-cream and music in the outdoor spaces between the station and the garage.

The project has been awarded historic tax credits form the National Park Service, Maryland Historical Trust, and Baltimore County.

JURY COMMENTS (If applicable)

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. STREET SIDE © Anne Gummerson
2. RAIL SIDE ENTRANCE © Anne Gummerson
3. DINING / FORMER WAITING ROOM © Anne Gummerson
4. SEATING / FORMER FREIGHT ROOM © Anne Gummerson
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