MHT Awards MHP for Flower Theater Historic Façade Restoration

Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) named MHP the recipient of its 2025 Excellence in Restoration Award in recognition of the nonprofit developer’s work on the historic façade at the Flower Theater. MHT will award MHP and nine other organizations throughout the Preservation Month (May 2025) celebrations. The awards recognize outstanding education, restoration, and revitalization projects, as well as individual leadership.  

MHP completed the reconstruction of the historic façade of the former Flower Theater in February 2024 after many years of the edifice’s disrepair. Located in the Long Branch neighborhood of Silver Spring, the historical edifice opened in 1950 and operated as a movie theater until it closed in 1996. The theater’s signature neon sign and marquee had been dark for many years, creating public safety issues and underutilized space on the block. For several decades, this historic building was left dilapidated and had its exterior appearance degraded by aging signage. Contracted to Donohoe, the Flower Theater’s project revived the iconic neon sign, relit the marquee, and renovated the ticket booth using original materials and techniques, reinvigorating a vibrant economic community.