New UMMS signage tops 250 W. Pratt St. in downtown Baltimore

Downtown Baltimore’s skyline will get a new look with the unveiling Tuesday of University of Maryland Medical System signage atop the former Pandora office tower on West Pratt Street.

The medical system expanded its corporate headquarters at the 25-story building at 250 West Pratt Street in November to lease nearly 40,000 square feet on several floors. The sign, including name and logo, will be visible from Interstates 395 and 95 and from home plate beyond the centerfield wall at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It measures 23 feet tall and 48 feet wide.

The sign’s letters will be lit up at night, with customizable colors that can correspond to causes and themes such as health awareness, the state’s sports teams and honoring veterans.

Danish jeweler Pandora previously had its U.S. headquarters at 250 W. Pratt and prominent signage on the building. Pandora announced at the end of 2022 that it would be moving its U.S. base to New York City’s Times Square.

The UMMS sign will serve as a symbol of Baltimore as a destination for “world-class, groundbreaking, academic medicine,” said Dr. Mohan Suntha, UMMS’ president and CEO, in an announcement Tuesday.

The medical system employs nearly 30,000 people and operates 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, home to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. About 90 people work at the Pratt Street headquarters.

The system has invested $14 million in social impact initiatives to benefit West Baltimore. Over the next five years, its $1.2 billion capital budget is expected to create 10,000 construction jobs in the state and boost economic activity in downtown Baltimore.