New Loyola Community Center opens to serve York Road neighborhoods
Loyola University Maryland celebrated the opening of the Loyola Community Center in Baltimore with a festive ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. The Loyola Community Center is the renovated section of the University’s main building at 5104 York Road. It is home to the University’s Center for Neighborhood Resilience and provides space for programs with Loyola’s community partners.
“Loyola has a long, proud history of partnering with our neighbors to strengthen our city, and we look forward to deepening that connection and continuing that work,” said Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., president of Loyola. “We look forward to seeing how the Loyola Community Center brings our students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners together, expand access to vital programs and resources, and create new opportunities for our community to thrive.”
As part of the renovations, Loyola added 2,500 square feet of office space to the larger building at 5104 York Road as well as a multipurpose space for community events and workshops. The new space will host community clinics, youth workforce and leadership development programs, the PATH Community Fair, and neighborhood events.
In addition, the space will provide offices for an entrepreneur from Loyola’s Baltipreneurs Accelerator; the first will be Mentoring Mentors Inc. There will also be office space for partnering community organizations, including the York Road Partnership.
“The opening of the Loyola Community Center is a culmination of many years of partnership between our campus and our York Road neighbors and an exciting new chapter,” said Gia Grier McGinnis, Dr.PH., executive director of neighborhood resilience and community engagement at Loyola. “We are grateful for the support and investment from our city, state, federal and foundation partners.”
Funding for the renovations came from a combination of federal and state support and Loyola’s capital budget. In 2024, Loyola received more than $1.2 million in federal and state funding, and earlier this year, the University received a $167,000 grant from the France-Merrick Foundation and a $100,000 grant from the Middendorf Foundation. The property was a car dealership before Loyola purchased it in 1998.
“The addition of the Loyola Community Center is an important step forward and a chance for us to highlight this work with our community partners that is central to our mission as a Jesuit, Catholic university,” said Deb Cady Melzer, Ph.D., vice president for mission and student development. “This space will enhance and increase opportunities for our students to grow as people for and with others, living, learning, and leading alongside our neighbors in our anchor city of Baltimore.”
The ceremony included remarks from elected officials, as well as community partners. The Rev. Stephen Spahn, S.J., Loyola’s assistant vice president of mission, blessed the Loyola Community Center.
"When universities work alongside their neighbors, they can do more than educate students. They can strengthen communities and create lasting opportunities," said U.S. Congressman Johnny Olszewski. “Loyola's new community hub is a beautiful new space for young people to discover new possibilities, for small-business owners to find support, and for residents throughout the York Road corridor to gather. I’m grateful to my predecessor, Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, for helping to secure the federal investment behind this project, and to all of the other partners who brought it to life."
In addition to Olszewski, other special guests attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony were State Senator Mary Washington, State Delegate Regina Boyce, Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway, Ira Kowler and Kate Howard from the Department of Housing and Community Development, and representatives of U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks, and Ruppersberger. Dan Pontious also spoke on behalf of the York Road Partnership.
“The opening of the Loyola Community Center will bring together residents of the York Road Corridor and Greater Govans neighborhoods, with access to a new space for local events, youth programs, support services, and more. That’s why Federal Team Maryland worked to secure a $1 million federal investment to help build this center. I’ve seen the progress being driven by Loyola’s York Road Initiative firsthand, and I look forward to seeing how the University continues to empower students and the community through this new Community Center,” said Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee.
In May, Loyola also received a $500,000 Trust in Practice Award to support the creation of the University’s new Rooted in Trust program, to be launched with three Greater Govans nonprofit partners. Loyola is one of 11 national projects selected to receive a Trust in Practice Award, which is co-sponsored by Aspen Institute’s Alliance for Social Trust and Allstate. The Rooted in Trust program will build on Loyola’s longstanding, collaborative York Road Community Day program to strengthen social trust across racial, generational, and socioeconomic divides.
Meanwhile, the smaller building on Loyola’s 5104 York Road property, which is separate from the Loyola Community Center, is scheduled to be renovated to support Loyola’s sustainability and food equity efforts, including the Govans Farmers Market, Govans Community Fridge, and other environmental sustainability and resiliency programs.
Photos by Larry Canner.