It’s time to bring the Top of the World Observation Level into the 21st century.
That was the message Robyn Murphy, CEO of Create Baltimore, which operates Top of the World, delivered Thursday night inside the Inner Harbor attraction.
The private event kicked off plans for renovations of Top of the World, known for its 360-degree view of the city from the Baltimore World Trade Center’s 27th floor. Renderings of updated sections included new art gallery walls, flooring, ceiling finishes and lighting, along with interactive digital kiosks about Baltimore neighborhoods and an expanded gift shop.
“We definitely have some catching up to do,” Murphy said. If all goes according to plan, she said, the updated Top of the World should debut in less than three years.
The proposed face-lift — which will cost “under $5 million,” Murphy said — represents a 180-degree turn from early 2025, when Create Baltimore announced Top of the World would close that May at the conclusion of a 20-year lease with the state of Maryland, which owns the building.
“Top of the World was going to be a casualty,” Calvin Young, interim deputy mayor for community and economic development, said Thursday. “Frankly, if we had moved forward with those plans, we would be standing in office space right now.”
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But in October 2025, Create Baltimore reversed course, reaching an agreement with the state to continue operating Top of the World. On Thursday, Murphy said a long-term contract had been agreed upon in principle and was down to “I-dotting and T-crossing.”
In the meantime, Create Baltimore has signed short-term agreements to keep Top of the World running, which will remain the case until the long-term contract is finalized, according to Murphy. The current agreement expires in January, she said. She’s confident a long-term lease will be approved soon.
“The state is excited,” Murphy said. “They agree with us that this is a space for the public good.”
Opened in 1979, Top of the World looks dated today beyond its worn carpet. Placards around the attraction tout Baltimore achievements, such as movies and TV shows filmed here — but make no mention of more modern hits such as “The Wire,” “Veep” and “House of Cards.”
Murphy noted other Maryland accomplishments not acknowledged on the walls, from the Ravens’ Super Bowl win in 2013 and Michael Phelps’ record-breaking Olympic run to Gov. Wes Moore’s election victories.
“We have had four women mayors, including the incredible Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who sits with us tonight,” Murphy said. “But our exhibits haven’t been updated since before we ever had a woman mayor.”
The new educational kiosks — large touch screens equipped with headphones for supplemental audio recordings — will allow Top of the World to remain up to date “practically in real time,” a far cry from the current informational offerings, Murphy said.
“Maryland’s story is still being written, and the walls of this building should never be finished telling it,” she said.
Top of the World, which is open Wednesdays through Sundays, costs $5 to $8 based on age, while kids under 3 are free. It is also home to the 9/11 Maryland memorial exhibit.
Top of the World holds personal significance for Murphy, an Edmondson Village native whom Young credited with keeping the panoramic attraction open.
“Somewhere, there is another little girl from West Baltimore, or anywhere in Maryland, who will stand at these windows, and she will dream about her future,” Murphy said. “Our responsibility is to ensure that this place continues to inspire that promise and that possibility, and that the doors remain open to her.”
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