The often unloved Morris A. Mechanic Theatre (Michael Murphy)

Some call it ugly, but a concrete theater in Baltimore came one step closer to becoming a city landmark this month.

On Aug. 14, the city's commission for historical and architectural preservation unanimously approved the nomination to landmark the gutted Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, giving it protection for six months.

"The bad news is that this is only a first step," says local architect Michael Murphy, the commission member who nominated the 1,614-seat theater. Now the city's planning commission and city council must give their approval.

Designed by John Johansen (1916-1970) in the Brutalist style, the Mechanic opened in 1967 and has been empty for the past three years, when the renovated Hippodrome Performing Arts Center opened nearby.

Both the Mechanic's owner, a parking-garage operator, and the downtown business coalition oppose the landmarking, saying the building is ugly and that theaters don't generate enough income to support themselves. Owners Benjamin and Melvin Greenwald want to convert the building into a retail center, adding a 10-story condominium tower and possibly demolishing much of the original structure. They have already removed much of the interior.

Murphy, whose firm oversaw the renovation of the 1914 Hippodrome, says the theater is a link to an exciting time in Baltimore, when city planners commissioned prestigious architects, including Mies van der Rohe and Johansen, to contribute works for a downtown development. "They turned the tide of decline in downtown Baltimore and looked to the future with optimism and confidence," Murphy says.

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