Hillman Garage 50 Years Later: How Annapolis is Once Again Solving Its Downtown Parking Problem

"When the lower levels of the new garage in downtown Annapolis first opened on Nov. 29, 1972, Mayor Roger W. "Pip" Moyer was there to shake hands with the first customer, grinning for the camera.

"Moyer had finally found an answer - at least temporarily - for what to do with all of the cars coming to Annapolis, noting to the Evening Capital that a garage had been discussed since he was in grade school 30 years prior.

"Fifty years on from that day, Annapolis is once again grappling with the same issues Moyer thought he had solved. In the five decades since its unveiling, experts have reported the structure that became known as Noah Hillman Garage needs to be repaired or replaced. Mayors of both parties have come and gone. Citizen-led committees have been formed to study the aging building only to be dissolved with little to no progress made.

"In late 2020, the city agreed to let a group of private companies tear down the garage and build a bigger and better one in its place. On Monday, six months shy of the 50th anniversary of its opening, the garage will close and be dismantled piece-by-piece. Roughly 14 to 16 months after that, in summer 2023, a new parking structure will rise up on the same footprint at a cost of about $28 million."

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