The Johns Hopkins University has entered into a contract to buy the former 11.4 acre Zurich Insurance Co. site at the corner of Keswick Road and 40th Street just south of Roland Park and north of Hampden in northern Baltimore City.

Located adjacent to the Rotunda, this is a great location not too far from JHU’s Homewood Campus.

More details on the sale can be found in the Baltimore Sun article by Edward Gunts. He writes that:

The departments that will move to the site have not all been identified. Hopkins spokesman Dennis O’Shea said the buildings will be filled with Johns Hopkins employees over time, as leases elsewhere expire and as other business considerations dictate. The first workers are expected to move in during the second half of 2010. He said employees likely will come from a variety of Hopkins locations, including the former Eastern High School property on 33rd Street, the former USF&G campus in Mount Washington and East Baltimore.

About 1,100 employees are going to be working at this North Baltimore site, which could mean more home sales in the Roland Park, Keswick, and Hampden neighborhoods, if people want to live close to work.

This is great news for this neighborhood since Zurich vacated earlier this year to move to Baltimore County. With the Rotunda redevelopment in the works with townhomes, condos, and offices in the plans, and the Keswick Multi-Care center right there, this sale is wonderful to continue to build on this neat area of Baltimore.