The rundown former home of Aberdeen's Moose Lodge 1450 was once set to be razed by the city but now seems more likely to reborn as a military museum, a partial replacement of Aberdeen Proving Ground's much-loved former Ordnance Museum.
Aberdeen city officials revealed a rendering of such a military museum during a work session Monday.
They agreed to buy the 1.16-acre Moose property for $435,000 in the fall 2014.
Mayor Mike Bennett and City Manager Doug Miller said two local groups, including one from local defense contractor Battelle, are urging the city to fix up the Rogers Street property.
Manns Woodward Studios Inc., an architectural firm based in White Marsh, did the museum rendering pro bono, Miller said.
"It was brought up in several conversations that the mayor had with folks that were thinking of possibly creating a mini-version, for lack of a better term, of the military ordnance museum that we lost after BRAC," Miller told the council.
He said he walked through the property with an architect Friday to examine the stability of the building.
"This is somewhat of an unforeseen opportunity that is quickly getting momentum," Miller said about the idea of the museum.
The educational or even tourist use would fit in well with the city's goals for the site, community planning and development director Phyllis Grover said.
"I am very excited about this because it is in our transit-oriented development area and it is in our 'Festival Square' area," she said, referring to plans for a revitalized and more pedestrian-friendly downtown Aberdeen.
Grover said Manns Woodward's portrayal of the facade, combined with the pedestrian-friendly area of the nearby library and two nearby parks, "is just going to be a really nice thing for the city."
Bennett added Manns Woodward sent out what may be the city's first unmanned drone to study the building from the air.
"Having done that, he pointed out certain things in the building that we couldn't see from the ground," Bennett said.
Bennett confirmed he met last Friday with people had been involved in the old Ordnance Museum to see how they could work together with city leaders.
"It's a great economic development opportunity, pulls visitors into our downtown," the mayor said.
The fire department may be considering displaying some of its artifacts, as is Ripken Baseball, Bennett said.
"This Festival Park and village or city-square concept means we can get people down here and our business downtown can benefit from that," he said.