University-branded hotel planned near Homewood

Plans are taking shape for a university-branded hotel to open across North Charles Street from Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus by summer 2021.

The 11-story Blackstone building at the corner of North Charles and East 33rd streets, which currently includes 99 apartments, is set to be converted into The Study at Johns Hopkins, a hotel with 115 rooms, a restaurant, and meeting and conference space. Pending the required design approval by regulatory bodies, Study Hotels will renovate the building and operate the hotel on the property owned by the university.

"The community surrounding the university's main campus has needed more hotel space for many years to accommodate visitors from around the world," says Mitch Bonanno, JHU's chief real estate officer. "Study Hotels, which has created beautiful, welcoming spaces at other universities, offered an exciting plan for a hotel that will serve the needs of the university community and its neighbors and add to the vibrancy of the Charles Village Retail District."

Study Hotels have opened at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, and in Philadelphia to serve Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania. Another Study Hotel is planned at the University of Chicago. Study Hotels says its goal is to "capture the character and essence of the school and its surroundings. … Every detail is meticulously thought out to enhance the guest experience, creating a sophisticated, relaxed environment."

Image caption: The Blackstone, situated at the corner of North Charles and East 33rd streets across the street from the university's Homewood campus, is currently home to 99 apartments.

Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University

The university's Facilities and Real Estate team and the developers have begun working with community leaders to ensure the project meets the guidelines of the North Charles Village Planned Unit Development and will work toward securing necessary city approvals this winter.

All current Blackstone residents' leases are due to expire in May 2020, consistent with prior years. Building occupants affiliated with Johns Hopkins can receive assistance locating housing for next year that is comparable in price and location by contacting the Off-Campus Housing Office at 410-516-7961 or offcampus@jhu.edu.

Construction is expected to start in summer 2020 and be completed in about a year.

The new project is the latest step in ongoing community-based efforts to foster a lively and inviting campus community atmosphere in Charles Village. Previous projects in this area have included:

• Charles Commons, which opened in 2006
• North Charles Street improvements in 2014
• The Nine East 33rd development, which opened in 2016

Currently, the university is installing high-quality, pedestrian-friendly streetscape components along sections of St. Paul and East 33rd Street.

"The new hotel is aligned with the vision we have built over a dozen years with community leaders that Charles Village should be a thriving destination for our students, city residents, and visitors," Bonanno says. "The Study will be a great asset for the university, the community, and the City of Baltimore."