The last days of the _old_ Maryland House on I-95

[cpzilliacus]

The end is near for the Maryland House service plaza on I-95 in Harford County. At 11:59 P.M. on Saturday, 15 September 2012, the HMS Host concession ends after 25 years, and the plaza will close - to be torn down and re-built by the new holder of the MdTA concession contract, Areas USA.  Here are some images.

The end is near:

[cpzilliacus]

Advance signage:

[cpzilliacus]

Finally almost there!


Left-side entrance:


Sunoco was once an Amoco:


Entrance to Exxon is on the left:


Exxon:

[cpzilliacus]

Some of the signs inside the Maryland House area are green, but most are blue:


Sunoco:



Bus parking - sometimes the "Chinatown" buses stop here.

[cpzilliacus]

Main building:

[cpzilliacus]

Inside view:

[cpzilliacus]

History lesson:

[Alps]

Wow, that's pretty image-intensive... pretty hi-res photos are taking a long time to load. (What is this toward.com?) I'll contribute my own page on Chesapeake and Maryland houses - mostly signage:

http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/md/i-95/rest.html

[cpzilliacus]

Wow, that's pretty image-intensive... pretty hi-res photos are taking a long time to load. (What is this toward.com?) I'll contribute my own page on Chesapeake and Maryland houses - mostly signage:

http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/md/i-95/rest.html

It's slow because I did not optimize them as well as I should have - I have just resized and resaved the biggest offenders.

www.toward.com is run by Pete Norloff in Oakton, Fairfax County, Virginia.  Pete provides low-cost hosting and e-mail service for people (including me).

He also hosts the OS/2 BBS on his system, which is how I know him (yes, I loved and still love OS/2).

[SteveG1988]

Look.......I know it is an older building but

WHY THE HECK ARE THEY TEARING DOWN A PERFECTLY SERVICABLE BUILDING?

I remember that place from when we used to take yearly trips to NC in the summer, i always thought it was a neat building, and was well maintained even as a kid (2004 was the last trip)

Is there a reason to the demolition?

[cpzilliacus]

Look.......I know it is an older building but

WHY THE HECK ARE THEY TEARING DOWN A PERFECTLY SERVICABLE BUILDING?

I remember that place from when we used to take yearly trips to NC in the summer, i always thought it was a neat building, and was well maintained even as a kid (2004 was the last trip)

Is there a reason to the demolition?

The Maryland Transportation Authority said the following  about its JFK Highway service plazas (their words, not mine, taken from a pre-proposal briefing handout in 2011 (here)):

• Maryland House constructed in 1963
• Chesapeake House constructed in 1975
• Reached the end of their useful lives
• Age and high level of use is showing
• Environmental clean-up at existing service stations
• Unacceptable traffic patterns at service stations
• Desire to have a single service station at each facility

Regarding the service stations, there have always been two at both plazas, but I understand that will be over as of the 15th, when Areas USA takes over operation at Chesapeake House and shuts-down Maryland House.  There was once a mandate in Maryland statute that required two service stations at each plaza, but that provision has been repealed - and perhaps the MdTA staff noticed that the Delaware Turnpike service plaza, which formerly had two service stations, now has only one.

[Henry]

History lesson:

What will happen to the above signs, now that the service plaza is being rebuilt?

[cpzilliacus]

What will happen to the above signs, now that the service plaza is being rebuilt?

I suspect, but do not know for certain, that AreasUSA will be required to re-install those two signs when the new Maryland House service plaza is completed.

[Henry]

I suspect, but do not know for certain, that AreasUSA will be required to re-install those two signs when the new Maryland House service plaza is completed.

Let's hope they do!

[D-Dey65]

What's sad is that I never got a chance to use this:


That ice cream shack was always closed.

Some of the signs inside the Maryland House area are green, but most are blue:

And then there are some that are red:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flashing_Big_Red_Do_Not_Enter_Sign(Maryland_House).JPG

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1801.msg40444#msg40444

[roadman65]

 I cannot believe that this Landmark is going.  It has been there for years.  I remember before toll roads started allowing name brand restaurants to occupy service areas when I first visited MD House.  Just goes to show how long it has stood in the middle of I-95 for me.

[NYYPhil777]

What's sad is that I never got a chance to use this:


That ice cream shack was always closed.

Some of the signs inside the Maryland House area are green, but most are blue:

And then there are some that are red:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flashing_Big_Red_Do_Not_Enter_Sign(Maryland_House).JPG

That M&M machine looks like an ice cream machine to me.
Looking at the architecture of the Maryland House and the plaza, it's a shame it will be going away. This is what happens when you live in a society that has an emphasis on status quo. 

[cpzilliacus]

That M&M machine looks like an ice cream machine to me.

Yeah, I think it dispensed cold M&M's. I've seen the same type of machines at some of the outlet malls in Maryland and Delaware.

Looking at the architecture of the Maryland House and the plaza, it's a shame it will be going away. This is what happens when you live in a society that has an emphasis on status quo. 

In the original procurement process (which was aborted), the MdTA had specified that the Maryland House "main" building had to be preserved, even though it did not meet criteria for historic preservation as a building first used by the public in 1963 (it opened when the full Northeast Expressway opened in November 1963). 

It was apparently always the intent of MdTA that the Chesapeake House complete (which was not opened until 1975) was to be torn down.

[D-Dey65]

That M&M machine looks like an ice cream machine to me.

Yeah, I think it dispensed cold M&M's. I've seen the same type of machines at some of the outlet malls in Maryland and Delaware.

   

Actually, it's the shack that the M&M machine is standing next to that I'm bummed about never getting the chance to use. I did go to the Hershey's Ice Cream shop inside one time, though, and I was able to get any type of shake or float I wanted. I think I got a chocolate chip one, or a chocolate chip cookie dough one(I forget), and I told the girl working there that if I ever came there during Christmastime, I'll get an Egg Nog shake. Fat chance of that happening now.

[cpzilliacus]

That M&M machine looks like an ice cream machine to me.

Yeah, I think it dispensed cold M&M's. I've seen the same type of machines at some of the outlet malls in Maryland and Delaware.

   

Actually, it's the shack that the M&M machine is standing next to that I'm bummed about never getting the chance to use. I did go to the Hershey's Ice Cream shop inside one time, though, and I was able to get any type of shake or float I wanted. I think I got a chocolate chip one, or a chocolate chip cookie dough one(I forget), and I told the girl working there that if I ever came there during Christmastime, I'll get an Egg Nog shake. Fat chance of that happening now.

Curiously, in the many times that I have visited Maryland House over the years (since the 1960's as a child), I don't think I have ever seen that shack open.