Last year, 3,500 people passed through the Baltimore Area Visitors Center during January and February. This year, that many stopped in during the three-day weekend that ended Monday.
The difference is partly a result of the visitors center's new location: the two-story Constellation building on the Inner Harbor promenade, just south of the Pratt Street pavilion of Harborplace.
With the warship Constellation closed for repairs, the Constellation Foundation allowed the visitors center to move into the first-floor space previously occupied by the ship's gift shop and orientation gallery.
The latest visitors center replaces two others -- one at Pratt and Howard streets and a kiosk on the west shore of the Inner Harbor -- but is considered a temporary facility.
A permanent visitors center is being planned by Design Collective of Baltimore for construction by mid-1997 on the west shore of the Inner Harbor, just south of the Light Street pavilion of Harborplace. The Schmoke administration is seeking $131,000 from the General Assembly to cover design costs.
The new center opened quietly Saturday. By the time Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke cut the ribbon Tuesday, its sign-in book already contained signatures of visitors from half a dozen countries, including Great Britain, Japan and India.
Ina Fleischer, assistant director of tourism for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, said the building's waterfront location encourages people to wander in.
"Before, we were in an office building," she said. "This is more visible. It's right in the middle of the tourist activity."
The building that now serves as the area's visitors center opened to a howl of public protest in July 1990. It was thrown up by the Constellation Foundation at a cost of $875,000. That summer, The Sun and The Evening Sun published 17 letters critical of the building's size and appearance. Benjamin Thompson, the architect of Harborplace, said the building's sudden appearance was like "a poke in the eye with a sharp stick."
The chief complaint about the 4,600-square-foot structure is that it is so large and opaque that, from many vantage points, it blocks views of the ship it was meant to promote.
The building is still an eyesore. Outside, the most noticeable change is a large blue and white banner that reads: Baltimore Area Visitors Center.
Inside, the former gift shop has been turned into an information area where visitors can consult with guides or brochures on area hotels and attractions. Also available are maps, transportation schedules and updates on events.
The former ticket booth for the Constellation now houses equipment for the center's toll-free phone line, which handles an average of 5,000 calls per month. The second floor still contains offices for the Constellation Foundation. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the center plans longer hours this summer.
One of the first visitors this week was Tracy Howald, a resident of Newport Beach, Calif. She said she was accepted as a graduate student of the Johns Hopkins University and traveled to see the campus with a friend. They were directed to the center when they got off the train at Penn Station, and the center's guides helped them find an affordable hotel.
Also stopping in Tuesday were Carleen Wilenius and Jay Ross, crafts buyers from Rochester, N.Y., who were attending the crafts show at the Baltimore Convention Center.
"I was here as a kid, but that was a long time ago," Ms. Wilenius said. "We're looking for ideas for places to visit the next time we come to town."
One of the best features of the visitors center is that it showcases attractions beyond the harbor, said Ms. Fleischer, the tourism official.
"People realize there's much more to see and do than can be accomplished in one or two days," said Ms. Fleischer. "That's what leads to repeat visits."
$3 million for ship
The Board of Estimates promised yesterday to commit $3 million to efforts to restore the Constellation, describing the 142-year-old sloop-of-war as a "symbol of our city's maritime heritage."
The money -- from the city's construction budget for fiscal 1997 -- first would be subject to approval by voters in a ballot referendum in November, and would not become available until July 1996.