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Baltimore's Harborplace To Be Renovated To Emphasize Waterfront Views

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- After 31 years, the construction project that transformed downtown Baltimore is being renovated.

Mike Schuh has the latest from Harborplace.

Thirty-two years ago, Harborplace was a construction site. Now, 31 years after it opened, it is again a construction site. At the Light Street Pavilion, most shops are gone and Phillips Seafood moved across the Harbor, where the ESPN Zone used to be.

The restaurants which remain are being renovated too, just in time for the new Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum and the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

"It's a breath of fresh air that will cause new reasons for people to come back to Harborplace," said Laurie Schwartz, Waterfront Partnership.

"If it brings in customers and maintains the integrity of the architecture, I'm for it," said Andy Flacks, who lives downtown.

Not only the city and the developer but those who come here want this proud anchor to succeed.

"It's beautiful and it showcases the positive side of a city than the darker side, perhaps," said Canadian tourist Trish Sullivan.

One of the things you're going to notice about this renovation is that they're paying more attention to the outdoor seating, with an emphasis on a better view of the water. It's that view that makes this place like no other, a place known around the world.

"When I was in Moscow, people mentioned the Inner Harbor and the Aquarium," Flacks said.

It's a world-class reputation that's now getting a renovation to match that image.

Much of the renovation is expected to be completed by the start of next year's tourist season in the late spring.

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