Baltimore City College renovations delayed by up to a year

Baltimore City College students who started as freshmen in 2025 may never set foot on their school’s original campus.

According to a letter sent to families on Thursday, renovations at the high school campus nicknamed “Castle on the Hill” will take six months to a year longer than planned, extending the project into the 2028-29 school year. The renovation, which began in 2025, was scheduled to be completed in summer 2028.

City College students are attending classes at the University of Baltimore during renovations.

Several factors caused the delay, including “labor shortages in key construction trades, longer equipment delivery times, and unforeseen conditions discovered during demolition,” according to the letter from Baltimore City Public Schools executive director of capital projects, Cynthia Smith.

The letter says district officials were informed of the delay by the Maryland Stadium Authority, which is managing the renovation. The Maryland Stadium Authority oversees the city’s new and renovated public schools, including several where heating and air-conditioning breakdowns led to pipe bursts and school closures.

“We will continue to work collaboratively to minimize disruptions to students and staff while ensuring the renovation is completed safely to the high-quality standard our school community expects and deserves,” Smith wrote.

Renovations at Baltimore City College will add nearly 13,000 square feet to the Northeast Baltimore school while preserving its “original, iconic 1926 Collegiate-Gothic architecture,” according to the school system. The $193.5 million project is also supposed to improve pickup and drop-off.

City College is among several Baltimore high schools getting upgrades. Students at the historic Frederick Douglass High School stepped onto a newly renovated campus this fall. Western High School and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute are also getting redone. Baltimore City College is the country’s third-oldest public high school, according to the school district.

The shortage of construction workers slowing the City College project is not unique. In Montgomery County, district officials say they’ve struggled to fill facilities staff vacancies despite intensive recruiting — partially because the district can’t compete with private-sector pay.

“Our biggest competitor for trades right now is data centers,” said James Duffy, director of the facility maintenance department. “They are paying way, way over scale.”

Baltimore City Public Schools will hold a community meeting Oct. 7 at Montebello Elementary/Middle School at 5:30 p.m. to “provide the latest project updates, discuss any schedule changes, and answer questions,” Smith’s letter said.

“While this news is disappointing, we have approximately two years to thoughtfully plan for any adjustments that may be required,” she wrote.

Baltimore City Public Schools wants to keep City College students at the University of Baltimore campus until June 2029, according to a letter sent by University of Baltimore Vice President for Technology and Digital Strategy David Bobart to the campus community. The university is open to an extension, spokesperson Chris Hart confirmed via email Friday. Letting students stay longer will not disrupt the university’s plans to construct a new academic center “beginning sometime after 2030,” Bobart’s letter said.

Banner reporter Talia Richman contributed to this story.

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