Harbormaster's Office Demolished, 'Ambitious' City Dock Park Awaits: See Photos

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Seafarers may have noticed a different look at Ego Alley during this weekend’s Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show.

There’s now a flat pad of dirt where the Annapolis Harbormaster’s Office once stood.

The building was demolished in early April, marking another step toward the forthcoming City Dock Park. Engineers expect the elevated earthen berm, its flood gates and its pumping stations to protect downtown from inundation as sea levels rise.

"The demolition and removal of the Harbormaster building marks a significant first step in the construction of one of the most ambitious public infrastructure efforts our City has ever undertaken," Mayor Gavin Buckley told Patch in a Wednesday statement. "We’re proud to begin this journey toward a more resilient, accessible, and vibrant waterfront for generations to come."

The interim harbormaster’s office is located at 4 Dock St., steps away from the old location.

The teardown faced complications, however.

An anonymous complainant sued the City of Annapolis in November 2024. The suit alleged the city violated its parliamentary procedures in approving the park and the associated demolition of the harbormaster’s office, WJZ reported at the time.

Circuit Judge Michael Malone ruled in favor of the city last month, saying the city didn’t violate any procedures.

Another legal challenge is still underway.

In a separate lawsuit filed last month, preservation nonprofit Historic Annapolis raised concerns about the "size and scale" of the Maritime Welcome Center slated to be built at the new park.

The city plans to replace the old harbormaster’s office with the larger Maritime Welcome Center. The blueprint calls for the welcome center to be connected to the Burtis House, a 19th-century home on the site.

Historic Annapolis strongly supports City Dock Park, but it thinks the Maritime Welcome Center needed deeper scrutiny under the city’s preservation laws because it will affect the Burtis House.

The Burtis House is currently closed, sitting on blocks, raising it from the ground. Many windows are boarded up.

Annapolis plans to start park construction after this fall’s boat shows if courts continue to side with the city.

The exact cost of City Dock Park is in flux. Previous estimates exceeded $70 million.

"The costs are being reworked," the mayor's office told Patch in an April 1 email. "Materials costs have changed and they have done some redesign to try to keep costs down."

The city still awaits final approval for a $33 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That money, the last piece of park funding, is in the middle of a two-year review.

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