Need a radiator? How about a claw-foot bathtub?
by Rachel Mansour
The Daily Record Online
6/15/2000

Where others see "rubbish" in a row of rusty cast iron pillars, peeling mantelpieces and a porcelain bathtub in need of a polish, Mark S. Foster sees a pile of opportunities to preserve history and help people in need of a job.

That's why two years ago he created Second Chance, a non-profit corporation that deconstructs buildings and salvages historically significant furniture and architectural details. Building materials and historically insignificant furniture are donated to other nonprofit groups and leftover wood, metal or bricks become the materials on which has masons-, carpenters- and craftsmen-in-training learn their trades.

Indeed, once Foster and his six-man crew get their hands on a building, nothing will go to waste.

"We're trying to keep the circle complete," he said, referring to the reuse of old buildings'''' innards. Such artifacts "would not be made again today."

If Second Chance hadn't taken part in several demolition projects in Baltimore, 75 percent of the buildings'' historic inventory would have gone straight to the garbage dump, Foster added.

During the past two years he has collected a substantial stock of dressers, bed headboards, wooden paneling, bathtubs, mantelpieces, cast iron gates, window frames and even radiators and porcelain toilets, which are piled high in a more than 125-year-old Baltimore County dairy farmhouse.

By fall he plans to set up a retail center in Baltimore for antique buffs and residents in search of that finishing touch for their historic rowhouse. The proceeds will fund Second Chance, which runs largely on private donations and state, city, and federal funding. Foster also is working with the city and several nonprofit employment groups to form his first training class of 10.

Deconstruction renaissance

Foster, 44, had spent 10 years in the restaurant development business - where he would create a dining concept and set up the restaurant before selling it to someone to manage - before he decided he needed a change of pace.

He had developed a fascination with historical preservation and the "craftsmanship" of older homes and antique furniture as he remodeled his Roland Park home of 15 years. As the renaissance of Baltimore''''s historic buildings continued downtown, Foster says he saw a need for that skill in the demolition process.

Since the city closed its salvage yard and deconstruction operation, Baltimore has not had a service like this. Philadelphia and Washington have a few similar companies, he said. "People [in Baltimore] miss it."

Foster says it is worthwhile not only to save the historic treasures in Baltimore's old buildings, but also to teach low-income families and welfare-to-work program participants construction and preservation trades while they repair salvaged furniture or build with second-hand materials.

"This is more of a passion for me. I enjoy saving things that would otherwise be lost," he said. As he surveyed a chest of drawers painted green with peeling word, he added, not everything is "great furniture, but they're certainly sturdy and they don't need to be tossed."

Second Chance also deconstruct homes and accepts donations from estate sales, which is evidenced by his stock of old couches, chairs and desks, most of which will be donated to nonprofits like the Salvation Army and The Loading Dock, a nonprofit company that builds affordable housing with surplus building materials.

The company also has become involved in saving a Howard County Victorian home from the wrecking ball. When BP Amoco bought the house and its land, where it would build a gas station. Foster volunteered to dismantle the Victorian house, rather than let it go to a landfill. Now, he and Preservation Howard County are helping a prospective buyer figure out how to move the house in one piece.

Salvaging history

The company is focusing on proposing its ideas to several developers specializing in the reuse of historic buildings, such as Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse and The Cordish Co., to build a network of potential jobs.

The company has already worked on well-known projects, including the Brokerage complex downtown, which Cordish has turned into an entertainment complex. By removing the innards of the historic structure, Second Chance saved about $25,000 worth of wooden wall panels, cast iron pillars, doorways and stained glass windows. Another $25,000 in historic inventory was already demolished before Second Chance arrived.

"Demolition crews are not looking [to save a building's contents]. We would like to salvage anything we could, both historical and non-historical," Foster said, as he stood next to a nearly 20-foot-tall wooden panel taken from the complex. The crews found "Chessy" inscribed on the back of that panel, indicating that it was part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad inventory.

Foster added if Second Chance hadn't intervened, a modern drop ceiling would have covered the Brokerage's now-salvaged stained glass skylight. "All we are asking for is a little time."

Although Second Chance does its work at no charge, why would a developer, to which time is everything, squeeze in room on its tight schedule for Second Chance to painstakingly remove walls and doorways?

Foster says it's the "three p's" that motivate developers - philanthropy, profit and public relations.

Indeed, carving out a week or even a day for Second Chance to preserve architectural treasures provides employment opportunities to disadvantaged but hard-working people. The total dollar value of the salvaged materials is tax deductible for the developer. And, of course, doing such a good deed contributes to the developer's reputable public image.

Second Chance's next project is to deconstruct five buildings slated for demolition for J.J. Clarke Enterprises Inc.'s One Light Street development along Baltimore and Light streets. Foster has already found doorways, three old safes and radiators worth saving.

However, Foster not only gives furniture and building structures a "second chance," but also people in need of construction trade skills.

Fix-it-uppers

The heaps of wood, metal, porcelian and glass remnants need a lot of fix-up work - a perfect opportunity to teach people construction skills. Inisde Foster's dairy barn, he and his employees will teach trainees sandblasting, painting and stained glass and wood repair.

And deconstructing buildings, a tedious process that requires removing architectural elements without damaging them, teaches worthwhile skills. He says he even accepts construction jobs on the side if they can provide training opportunities for his workers.

As Foster surveyed the rotting wood and feeble slate roof of the barn, which could become an opportunity to train his workers how to fix old roofs, he says, "there are lessons to be learned in all of that."

The first class of about 10 trainees will finish by next year and join Second Chance. He is meeting with the Mayor's Office of Employment Development as well as nonprofit groups to obtain trainees. Foster will place the next annual classes of about 25 with other demolition or trade companies.

Meanwhile, he keeps his visions for Second Chance grand. Foster has narrowed the location of the retail facility down to two 15,000-square-foot sites in South Baltimore and imagines it one day bustling with antique buffs and homemakers. The company will run on a $1 million budget next year, but that could climb to $3 million within three years, Foster says.

Things are already looking good, he said. Without any advertising, he already receives two to three calls a week from developers and homeowners interested in Second Chance's services.

And with several renovation projects on the city's West Side, the prospects for business can only grow. "It sure seems busy down there" in Baltimore.