Honoring Labor Day: The Legacy and Future of CANCO

Labor Day is about celebrating the people whose hard work has shaped our communities. For us, it’s also a chance to reflect on CANCO, a company whose story is deeply connected to the labor movement.

The American Can Company, known to many as “CANCO,” was once the heartbeat of Baltimore. For much of the 20th century, nearly everyone in Baltimore either worked at the “Can” or knew someone who did. Founded in 1901, the company grew quickly, producing cans for the food industry and later pivoting during wartime to make shell casings, torpedo machinery, and other defense needs. Even during the Depression, they found ways to keep people employed, like rotating schedules so families could make ends meet. At its peak in the 1960s, the Baltimore plant employed nearly 900 workers and even contributed to the U.S. space program.

When the plant closed in the 1980s, the site stood vacant until the Can Company was reimagined as one of Baltimore’s first major adaptive reuse projects in 1997. Today, it includes more than 60,000 square feet of retail and 140,000 square feet of commercial space, housing over 40 businesses and 1,700 employees. Restaurants, offices, and shops line the historic structures, creating a landmark that bridges the “old” Canton of corner bars and rowhomes with the “new” Canton of waterfront condos, marinas, and parks. The result is a true act of placemaking that honors its industrial roots while embracing the future.

We are proud to work alongside Floura Teeter Landscape Architects to help re-envision the site. Our work at the Baltimore CANCO campus includes wayfinding, re-branding, landscaping integration, and environmental graphics. These tools will welcome visitors, guide tenants, and reinforce the site’s identity as both a celebrated historic anchor and a forward-looking hub.

This Labor Day, we honor workers past and present whose dedication shaped CANCO and the communities it continues to serve.

Client: Reba Holdings LLC

Partner: Floura Teeter Landscape Architects, Inc.