Digital billboards are rebranding Baltimore City

BALTIMORE -- New signs may have caught your eye in Downtown Baltimore.

Digital billboards have been put up on two buildings at Lombard and Charles streets, thanks to a yearslong effort by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.

The signs will be showcasing local businesses, organizations, events, among other things.

But, it's more than just a brand new way to advertise.

No one's more excited for these new digital billboards than Amy Jordan. She's the building property manager for 36 S. Charles St. and she's been waiting for the first ones to go up since early 2020.

That's when Downtown Partnership first approached her about the billboards. For her, it's really what marks revitalization for downtown.

"I think it's a reset for Baltimore," Jordan said. "It's a reset for our building, as we've seen tenants leave the marketplace and go out to the county or downsize."

The billboards were put up in partnership with Orange Barrel Media and Capitol Outdoor Media. Aside from businesses and organizations, local artists can also get some time on them.

Downtown Partnership president Shelonda Stokes said the signs are about showcasing the city as a whole, positioning the Charm City to be a contender to host big events.

"What we're doing downtown impacts the entire city. We wanna win large conferences here," Stokes said. "You have to have what's called a 'clean zone,' that allows you to really take over an area of signage that allows us to win bids like the World Cup, the Super Bowl."

Jordan's excited to be a pioneer for this.

"When I think about this, it's so much bigger than just having a sign slapped up on a building. I think it really reflects some hope and it reflects goodness," she said.

Six more billboards will be up by January and another three will be up by the summer. That'll bring the total number of billboards to 11.