Nate Loewentheil, a senior policy adviser at the White House National Economic Council, hailed the project as a sign of the city’s future.

“The Port of Baltimore and the B&O Railroad helped make Baltimore a major commercial hub for the country in the 19th century,” he said. “The construction of Penn Station at the start of the 20th century helped cement Baltimore as one of the great cities on the Eastern Seaboard. The redevelopment of the station will help bring us into the 21st century.”

“What I see here is enormous economic opportunity,” said Nate Loewentheil, a senior policy adviser at the National Economic Council in the White House, who was born in Baltimore and whose father co-owned the storied Mencken’s Cultured Pearl restaurant near Hollins Market that closed in 1998. “You’ve got plenty of space to work with, although … you’ve got your work cut out for you as well.”