Phillips Packing House

The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Cross Street Partners are tackling an ambitious project to rehabilitate and reuse the historic Phillips Packing Plant in Cambridge into The Packing House mixed-use development. Preservation Maryland will support the effort by identifying funding to support the critical repair of the iconic smokestacks and increasing public awareness of this important preservation project on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.


Partners: Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, Cross Street Partners

The Problem

Action is needed to stabilize the structure and smokestacks before Cambridge loses a culturally and historically significant landmark.

The Fix

Plans are in the works for the abandoned 60,000 square foot packing house to be repurposed as a food and farming exchange, which will provide a variety of venues for the production, process, and sale of Maryland Eastern Shore branded culinary products. Preservation Maryland will support the effort by identifying funding to support the critical repair of the iconic smokestacks and increasing public awareness of this important preservation project on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

HISTORY & SIGNIFICANCE

The Phillips Packing Company has a long, rich history. The Packing Company employed thousands of Cambridge residents and was responsible for supplying K and C rations to U.S. troops during World War I and II. Factory F was the largest fruit cannery in the United States at the time. It also canned sweet potatoes, lima beans, white potatoes, and tomatoes. At the turn of the century, nearly a million bushels of oysters were shucked annually in Cambridge, second in volume nationwide only to Baltimore. Even now, long after its closure, the Packing House smokestacks provide a well-defined, visual landmark.

THREATS & GOALS

Action is needed to stabilize the structure and smokestacks before Cambridge loses a culturally and historically significant landmark. Plans are in the works for the abandoned 60,000 square foot Packing House to be repurposed as the Food and Farming Exchange, which will provide a variety of venues for the production, process, and sale of Maryland Eastern Shore branded culinary products.

Updates

OCTOBER 2016

The plan is to rehabilitate the Phillips Packing House Building into a mixed-use center for local food production, micro-brewing, non-profit organizations and companies/institutions seeking a collaborative work environment.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

International experts are nearing completion of structural repairs to the iconic smokestacks of the Phillips Packing House in Cambridge, Maryland visible all the way from Route 50.

READ MORE

See More Updates

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