The re-imagination of the former M&T Bank Pavilion began when it became clear that a venue of the size, scope, and capacity was missing in Baltimore and was sorely needed. OTJ Architects of Washington D.C. was engaged to design the project. OTJ has extensive experience with renovating historic entertainment palaces, including the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre in Boston (now the Citizens Bank Opera House), the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, and currently the monumental flagship Lowes Theatre in Jersey City.
As part of the design, two additional levels were added, which took the room from approximately 5,000 square-feet to just over 12,000 square-feet, as well the lighting, sound, rigging, staging, and control systems that would transform the space. The France-Merrick Foundation provided the first $2M to fund the architectural drawings, followed by the Abell Foundation with an additional $1M. The John Gore Organization generously provided an additional $1.75M.