A Baltimore arts community staple is still cleaning up the mess caused by a stolen car that rammed through its front doors on Sunday, June 29.

The incident has forced Motor House to be closed for the time being, just as it was preparing for its 10th anniversary. 

But the team there shared with WJZ that the closure won't be as long as originally thought. The venue will reopen on Wednesday.

They're also asking for the community's help to recover from the destruction.

What the police said

Baltimore Police confirmed the car that crashed into Motor House was stolen.

Around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, police found a 49-year-old carjacking victim in the 1400 block of Eutaw Place. They learned the victim was carjacked by four armed men, around the corner on Madison Avenue.

By 11:20 a.m., police found the victim's car while it was on the 100 block of West North Avenue. When officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, the car crashed into Motor House.

The 19-year-old driver was taken to a hospital before he was charged with auto theft and multiple counts of destruction of property.

Cleaning up the mess

On Tuesday, you could still see where the car jumped the curb and where it ended up. A big piece of plywood was in place where the Motor House's entrance was, and a pile of debris was beside it.

Tori Martin, the interim director of Motor House, and Leon Pinkett, the executive director and CEO of Baltimore Arts Realty Corp (BARCO), both said they heard about the crash shortly after it happened.

"Another Motor House staff member called me and said, 'Hey, have you looked at your phone recently? Well, there's a car in the lobby, you should probably check it out,'" Martin said.

Out of caution, city inspectors condemned the building, which in turn forced a temporary closure. That closure meant all the events and programs scheduled over the next few days were postponed.

The silver lining, though, is that no one was hurt.

"We can replace buildings. We can't replace people. We're just thankful no one was hurt," Pinkett said. "Someone could have easily been in the lobby area, or by the door."

Initially, Martin and Pinkett thought the closure could've been long because of the potential structural damage. However, Martin said a structural engineer gave them the green light and now the venue will be reopening at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Martin said the team plans to incorporate the incident into its ten-year celebrations as a way to show the venue's resilience.

Megan Lewis, one of Motor House's resident artists, will also be putting a mural on the plywood currently up on the building.

"I don't think I would be the artist that I am without Motor House. Period," Lewis said. "I'm honored, and it's my job to temporarily put something up to just help it visually look better. Art definitely has the power to do so."

Rallying support

Motor House is currently taking in donations to help cover staff's missed work hours, as well as cover some repair costs.

If you're interested in helping,.