About Us

In our throw-away world, buildings are only meant to last for 20 years, shingles are plastic and old-world craftsmanship is nearly impossible to find.

Second Chance gives old buildings new life. We work with local and regional architects, builders and contractors to search out old buildings which are entering the demolition phase.

We rescue the wood, metal, marble, plaster, stone and other architectural elements that make the building special. We give these pieces new lives, in new homes, in new ways, with new uses.

It's a Second Chance.

News articles about Second Chance.

Deconstruction
Deconstruction is the process of removing specific usable elements from a building before it is demolished.

Deconstruction is time-consuming and exacting. The architectural elements must be removed from the building without becoming damaged. Elements that are too large to remove intact must be removed in pieces to be reassembled later.

Just because a building has outlived its useful life, that doesn't mean that all of its components are outdated, too. Many older buildings in Baltimore and throughout Maryland have interesting and unique elements that can be re-used in new and different ways. Be creative!

The process of deconstruction saves space in our ever-growing landfills, and performs the ultimate in recycling - using the elements from our past to enrich our futures.

Architectural Salvage
From kitchen cabinets to linen-fold wood paneling, from hardwood floors to marble fireplace surrounds, Second Chance can remove these items from a property unharmed and store them at its warehouse until they are ready to bring life to another home.

So many of the homes being built today lack the refining elements that made so many older homes special. By adapting and reusing architectural elements and antiques, today's homeowners can make their house a special place to live.

Architectural elements not only have a life doing the job for which they were designed, but they can also have a new life as something completely different. An old section of fence can become a headboard for a bed. A piece of tin ceiling can become a picture frame. The possibilities are endless - limited only by your imagination.

Job Training
Second Chance is working with low-income residents of Baltimore to train them in a wide variety of skill sets, ranging from carpentry to craftsmanship. Our goal is to create skilled workers making a living wage with benefits for themselves and their families.

Through the use of public and private funds, we teach our workers to safely deconstruct a building without damaging its historic elements.  They become self-supporting members of the community with new skill sets. 

At Second Chance, we believe that second chances are not just for buildings, they are for people, too. 

We are operating our training program in Philadelphia, PA, and Washington, DC.

Board of Directors
Mark S. Foster, President
Peter Rellas, CPA, Treasurer
Richard Bradley, Secretary

Directors

Mark S. Foster - President

Matt Gurzynski - Vice President

Peter Rellas, CPA - Treasurer

Richard Bradley- Secretary

Members-at-Large

Andrew Todtz

Mark Lavelle

Paul Lobo

Emeritus

Diane Feffer Neas

Zachary Holl

David Epstein

David Blalock  

Second Chance, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization