SquashWise Opens Squash and Education Center in Former Greyhound Terminal

More than 100 people filled the Greyhound terminal’s vintage waiting room at 601 N. Howard St. in Mount Vernon as SquashWise officially opened the $14.5 million, 24,000 square foot SquashWise Center on Feb. 23, 2026. Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller addressed the crowd; former U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and Baltimore City Councilman Zac Blanchard were also among the attendees during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The adaptive-reuse project, designed by PI.KL Studio, transforms the former downtown bus terminal into a multi-purpose community hub. The renovation includes six squash courts, three classrooms, a fitness area, changing rooms, offices for staff, dedicated study and tutoring spaces, and a student lounge, enabling SquashWise to host local matches and tournaments as well as daily programming.

Event coverage highlighted preserved historic features: organizers staged the ribbon-cutting in the old waiting room, where vintage terrazzo floors remain and one of the original Greyhound racing dog emblems still hangs overhead. The center’s communal areas are intended to support both athletics and academics, with planners describing the space as one where students can “learn, train and genuinely belong.”

SquashWise framed the facility as an expansion of its core mission, summarized on the organization’s site as “Squash. Education. Opportunity.” The nonprofit’s program slate for the new site includes its Youth Development Program, summer camp, school field trips, free Community Squash Nights, women’s and girls’ clinics, youth and adult leagues, tournaments, and tutoring with college and career-readiness supports. Executive director Abby Markoe said, “SquashWise is thrilled to open our new facility and to offer programming not only to Baltimore City youth as we have done for nearly two decades, but for the broader community.” She added, “The sport of squash brings many opportunities for relationship-building, career connections, college access, and friendships, and we are eager to open our doors to the community at large.”

The new center ends a five-year period of instability for the organization. SquashWise operated for 13 years at Meadow Mill Athletic Club until that club closed in 2021 during the COVID pandemic; the nonprofit then relocated to a small warehouse where it rebuilt two courts and continued serving students while fundraising for a permanent home. SquashWise leaders and supporters have credited the terminal project with providing long-term stability for the program after that transition.

SquashWise will host a public Grand Opening Community Day on Feb. 28, 2026, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the organization’s website lists an RSVP and invitations for volunteers, tutors, coaches, donors, and teams. The site had previously listed an anticipated opening in late January 2026, but the ceremonial opening took place Feb. 23 with the public community day scheduled for Feb. 28.

The reported $14.5 million renovation cost is clear in public coverage, but the project’s funding breakdown and donor list were not disclosed in available materials; SquashWise and project partners have not yet published a detailed accounting of grantors, donors, or public funding. With six courts, three classrooms, and expanded programming capacity in a landmark downtown building, the SquashWise Center positions the nonprofit to increase after-school tutoring, host school field trips, run leagues and tournaments, and broaden access to squash and college-readiness services across Baltimore.