Patrick Maxwell Building

Contour Construction served as the owner’s local representative and strategic construction partner for the long-term repositioning of the historic Patrick Maxwell Building, a 15,400-square-foot mixed-use asset in historic downtown Frederick City. Rather than approaching the property as a series of disconnected renovations, Contour developed an integrated plan that prioritized structural stabilization, life safety, building systems, residential improvements, commercial leasing needs, and capital deployment in a sequence designed to protect the owner’s investment. For an out-of-state ownership group, Contour became the local eyes, ears, and decision partner, coordinating designers, tenants, leasing representatives, preservation authorities, city stakeholders, neighbors, contractors, and other project interests while providing consistent schedule and cost visibility. The phased strategy allowed ownership to invest capital over time while returning usable portions of the property to the market and adapting commercial spaces to better align with changing tenant demand. Contour remained involved from base building strategy through tenant improvements and ongoing property decisions, ensuring that individual construction projects supported the performance of the asset as a whole. Major stabilization was completed in 2013, and the property has maintained an average occupancy of 98% since that time. Over the 2011 to 2023 engagement, the building was transformed from an operationally challenging historic property into a stabilized, income-producing mixed-use asset with modernized infrastructure, renovated residences, active commercial tenants, and a stronger position within the downtown market. The project demonstrates Contour’s approach to owner representation: managing construction decisions not simply for project completion, but in the context of risk, capital, leasing, operations, and the long-term performance of the investment.