PERRY HALL, MD—Baltimore County Councilman David Marks on Sunday announced an agreement in which the old Perry Hall Elementary School will be recommended for protection as a historic landmark. In return, Councilman Marks will support rezoning the property to accommodate expanded business uses at the location.

The owner, Gallagher Services, has entered into a contract with the Kraus family, longtime residents of Perry Hall who are represented in this acquisition by Kathy Townsend of Cummings and Company Commercial, also represented in Perry Hall. Plans call for the leasing of the building to a business that will serve the needs of the community.

Built around 1925, the structure housed students until Baltimore County Public Schools opened the current elementary school in 1956. It was also used to house students during several period of overcrowding in the 1970s, earning the name “the Perry Hall Annex.” Most recently, it has been owned and operated by Catholic Charities of Baltimore as the Gribbin Center, serving those with developmental disabilities.

“I am delighted that an agreement has been reached to preserve this structure, one of the oldest of its type in Perry Hall,” said Councilman Marks. “I wholeheartedly support placing the Perry Hall Annex on the list of protected landmarks, which eliminates any possibility the building will be bulldozed.”

“We welcome the opportunity to support efforts in preserving one of Perry Hall’s most stately an historic buildings so its history can become an integral part of the lives of present and future generations of Perry Hall residents,” said Mr. Kraus.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with the owners of this historically significant property in Perry Hall,” added Bryan Fischer, president of the Preservation Alliance of Baltimore County. “This project is an excellent example of how adaptive reuse keeps a building viable and reduces emissions and landfill usage otherwise wasted on unnecessary demolition. The Preservation Alliance thanks Councilman Marks and the Kraus family for their vision and commitment to historic preservation.”

Councilman Marks was joined recently at the school by the Kraus family; Senator Kathy Klausmeier; and Anne Gryczon, executive director of the Baltimore County Historical Trust.

Photo via Councilman David Marks