Unfinished Senior Center Torched During Riots Finally Opens

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A sign of growth in East Baltimore, as a senior center intentionally set on fire during the unrest a year ago officially opens.

Marcus Washington on the significance of the fire, and the reopening that brought out Baltimore's mayor and Governor Hogan on Wednesday.

At the time of the fire, construction of the senior center was nearly halfway complete. It was on April 27, 2015 -- the day of Freddie Gray's funeral -- when fire and destruction sparked throughout Baltimore City.

The joy and pride the official opening of the Mary Harvin Senior Center brings to East Baltimore and the city as a whole is a far-cry from what the site and community experienced one year ago.

Flames and heartbreak spread at the corner of North Chester and Federal streets after someone intentionally set the senior center -- in mid-construction -- on fire.

One day after that fire, Marcus Washington walked with Pastor Donte Hickman of Southern Baptist Church. They oversee the center and its services.

"Anything is possible, and now there's hope that's been restored to a community that was dubbed a neighborhood without hope. And we're here to continue that hope," said Hickman.

On Wednesday, that light has helped to reveal the beauty, strength and resilience of the community.

Within a year, the center was rebuilt. All of its 61 units are occupied.

Its grand opening brought out top officials, including Governor Larry Hogan.

"Wow. You know? And then after they rebuilt -- and rebuilt so quick -- it's just amazing," said tenant Shirley McNeil.

Like the fire, the feeling of the community was burning. Now the rebirth is a glimpse of its growth and future.

The Mary Harvin Senior Center cost $15 million to build and is part of a bigger plan of revitalizing that area of East Baltimore.