General Services Transfers Old Catonsville Courthouse Property to the University of Maryland Baltimore County
CATONSVILLE, MD – Secretary Ellington E. Churchill, Jr. today, was accompanied by the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s President, Freeman A. Hrabowski III to announce the transfer of the old Arbutus/Catonsville Multi-Service Center facility to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).
“Higher education plays a vital role in Maryland by encouraging individuals to be creative, contribute to the economy, and most importantly, help to maintain our quality of life,” said Secretary Churchill “The transfer of this property reinforces the state’s commitment to higher education, and we look forward to our continued collaboration with the University of Maryland Baltimore County.”
This property was originally transferred to the University of Maryland in July 1965 as part of a 432-acre parcel. In December 1976, the Board of Public Works approved the transfer of this 4.5-acre parcel back to the state for the site of the Catonsville District Court. The 32,657 square foot building, built in 1982, housed district court rooms for Baltimore County and offices for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, and the Office of the Public Defender. The building was replaced in 2020 by a state-of-the-art, 130,000 square foot building on a different location a few miles down the road. Now the property will come full circle and by returning to the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
“I want to thank Governor Hogan, Secretary Churchill, and our UMBC colleagues who made this acquisition possible,” said President Hrabowski. “This building will enhance UMBC’s ability to support Maryland’s economy by offering new research facilities and building our capacity to produce graduates prepared to work in such high-demand fields as computing, cybersecurity, and engineering.”
The old Catonsville Courthouse facility is located adjacent to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The transfer of the facility will allow the university to expand its research efforts and capacity in high-demand majors such as computing, cybersecurity, and engineering. As an example, the building is now the home of the new Center for Real-time Distributed Sensing and Autonomy, whose researchers are exploring ways to advance artificial intelligence-based autonomous systems for military use as part of a $20 million subcontract from the Army Research Lab.
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About DGS: The Department of General Services is responsible for essential services and programs administered on behalf of the state, including procuring goods and services; designing, building, leasing, managing and maintaining facilities; leading energy conservation efforts; administering the state’s Capital Grants Program; and providing essential services such as fuel management, disposition of surplus property and records management. The Department of General Services Maryland Capitol Police maintains safety and security at state buildings.
