Transformation
The Vision
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Cross Street Partners is re-purposing the historic Phillips Packing Company, Factory F (The Packing House) in Cambridge, MD. Building on the Eastern Shore’s deep tradition of agricultural and fishing assets, the 60,000 square foot historic Phillips Packing House Building is designed to support and grow regional economic opportunities connected to agriculture, aquaculture, environmental technologies, and tourism. The Packing House houses a synergistic mix of tech and creative entrepreneurs, food production and food related retail/eateries as well as a 2-story, light-filled open atrium space for continuous public programs and private events.
The building features an open floor plan, soaring ceilings, and the opportunity to retain many historic architectural features that enhances the space with an authentic, Eastern Shore manufacturing aesthetic. Adjacent to the Phillips Building is the future site of Cannery Park, a new ‘central park’ for the City of Cambridge that incorporates active and passive spaces for recreation. The Packing House serves as a connection between the growing downtown revitalization in Cambridge and the nearby highway route taking people to the Maryland and Virginia beaches. The commercialization, research, production, and active retail uses support local employment and inform nutrition and public health programming on the Eastern Shore.
Redeveloping this historically significant building as an entrepreneurial engine for the Cambridge community in a manner that celebrates Cambridge’s unique heritage preserves the legacy of the Phillips Packing Company. It is the last remaining factory from the Phillips Company’s empire of vegetable and food packing businesses, which once employed thousands of people in Cambridge. The company closed in the 1960’s, and the building has been deteriorating for decades.