One is a gleaming, imposing downtown skyscraper, the other a low-slung automotive building turned food hall in Remington. But both, in their own times and ways, transformed their surroundings: One Charles Center sparked Baltimore’s downtown renaissance in the 1960s, and R. House became a gathering spot in a neighborhood that has surged in recent years with new housing, retail, office space and energy.
The through line between the two is Donald Manekin, a key part of two family businesses, separated by a generation, that were behind the landscape-altering buildings.
He is the son of Harold Manekin, who after World War II, and with his brother Bernard, created one of the region’s most influential commercial real estate companies: Manekin Corp. The business was the leasing agent for One Charles Center and developer of other office buildings that revived downtown and paved the way to Harborplace and Camden Yards.
And he is the father of Thibault Manekin, with whom he co-founded Seawall Development Co., which has multiple projects in Remington, including the Miller’s Court apartment and office complex, as well as the renovated Lexington Market downtown.
But if his family has become known over the years for both new and renovated construction, what Donald Manekin says they’re really building is community.
“It wasn’t necessarily about the bricks and sticks of the project,” Manekin said. “It was much more about listening and engaging with the community, because this is theirs, not ours.”
He was lunching on a recent day at R. House with its of-the-moment offerings — think vegan, upscaled global street food and ice cream that is both delicious and socially conscious — but soliciting community input in design and execution is something of a trademark of all of Seawall’s developments.
Miller’s Court, meant to help the city attract and retain schoolteachers, who get discounted rent, has a resource center with copiers because the educators told Seawall they liked to print out lesson plans, Manekin said.
The Service Center, currently under construction, will have apartments, retail and office space, particularly for nonprofits — along with an opportunity for residents to volunteer for such groups. In return, Seawall will make a donation for every hour of labor.
“It’s a way for people to feel responsible for something larger than their apartments,” Manekin said. “Remington is not only a place to live but [to] be part of a larger community.”
Those who know Manekin say he walks his talk, taking active roles in civic and philanthropic efforts, particularly those that involve education.
“He’s just one of the most decent human beings I’ve ever met,” said David Hornbeck, a former state superintendent of schools. “He engages with people, and he values their voice and their wisdom.”
Hornbeck, who created Strong Schools Maryland to support the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the ambitious 10-year education reform plan, bonded and became friends with Manekin over their shared passion for the issue.
Manekin thought at one point he might become a teacher but instead joined the family business in 1975 and went on to open its Howard County office, where it became second only to the Rouse Co. in the amount of commercial development.
In 2000, when he was a partner and senior vice president, he agreed to a request from Baltimore’s new public schools’ CEO, Carmen V. Russo, to temporarily become chief operating officer of the district at a time when it was beset with financial and management problems.
He eventually found his way back to development when his son asked whether he would help start a company that would “re-imagine” real estate as something that united rather than divided people, as Thibault Manekin puts it.
“One of my dad’s greatest qualities is he’ll never really tell you how to do something,” the younger Manekin said. “He leads by example.”
He describes his father as someone who “deeply listens to people,” which is much how Donald Manekin describes his own father.
“I’d just sort of sit there and watch him just keep himself focused on the other person,” Manekin said. “My father, for as long as I can remember, was so relationship-driven.”
If family defines him, he’s also expanded its meaning: He and his wife, Brigitte, once took in a homeless man who lived with their family for about 15 years.
And he’s sought to help those getting into development but without the advantages of being born into it as he was. Seawall offers mentorship and help with accessing capital through its Black Developer Support Initiative.
Manekin, who tends toward the self-effacing, notes that there are other, larger efforts out there, even as he expresses pride in Seawall’s.
“You can win a lot of baseball games,” he said, “hitting singles.”
Donald Manekin
Age: 73
Hometown: Baltimore
Current residence: Hunt Valley
Education: Boys’ Latin; Towson University B.S.
Career highlights: Partner and senior vice president, Manekin Corp.; interim chief operating officer, Baltimore City Public Schools; co-founder, Seawall Development Co.
Civic and charitable activities: Served on boards of United Way of Central Maryland, Leadership Howard County, the Columbia Foundation, Teach for America and Open Society Institute-Baltimore
Family: Married to Brigitte Manekin; four children, nine grandchildren
