Demolition Of American City Building Blends Past, Present, Future

COLUMBIA, MD — As Columbia enters the next phase of its development, one local photographer captured a moment of transformation. Symbols of the city's past mixed with signs of the future.

"While walking around Lake Kit today, I shot these pics of the American City building demo from across the lake," Tom Lorsung of Longfellow told Columbia Patch Tuesday, July 9.

The American City Building is currently undergoing demolition near Lake Kittamaqundi.

The 10-story office structure was erected in 1964, according to state property records.

It was described by Urban Land Magazine as a beacon which "signaled that a mixture of uses would be sought reasonably near each other, unlike in typical suburban centers at the time." Over the years the U.S. Post Office and a cafe moved into the American City Building alongside offices.

Lorsung noted when he captured the scene at Lake Kittamaqundi in two photos, "one includes a more visible People Tree and the other frames the work with posters including New City."

The People Tree was commissioned by Columbia's developer The Rouse Company in 1965. French artist Pierre Du Fayet created the sculpture, which became a civic monument in 1966 and symbol for the Columbia Association.

"Columbia’s founder often spoke of Columbia as a garden for growing people. The People Tree is a reminder of that spirit," according to the Columbia Association.

As the city was in its infancy, The Rouse Company hired Gail Holliday to be its artist-in-residence, and she fashioned posters for the villages that have been featured in exhibits around Columbia since then, including at the Columbia Archives and around Lake Kittamaqundi.

Columbia celebrated its 50th birthday in 2017, and that year the Howard Hughes Corporation, the developer overseeing the revitalization of Columbia, also purchased the American City Building for $16.5 million to make way for the Lakefront District.

Plans for the project call for demolition of the office building and construction of more than 500 residences in addition to restaurants, retail and a public park.

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