About Us

Born in 1930, Leroy is raised in a blue collar area dominated by the local steel mill and shipyard. As a young boy working in his parents’ restaurant during the Depression, Leroy learns early the importance of pitching in, working hard and taking care of your customers. With a strong work ethic and aspirations beyond a job in the steel mill, Leroy earns a Senatorial Scholarship to attend Western Maryland College where his entrepreneurial spirit leads him to his first business venture—selling hotdogs and sandwiches in the dorms at night after the cafeteria closed. During summers home from college, he is given his start in construction, working for his uncles who had established a masonry business after returning from World War II.

After graduating from college and serving the two-year teaching commitment required by his scholarship, Leroy begins building houses, often on spec. He builds more than 60 homes in 10 years.

In search of an honest builder with whom to partner on apartment buildings, Ed St. John is pointed to Leroy. The two agree to work together. However, instead of apartment buildings, they decide to take advantage of the burgeoning demand for rental warehouse space, a revolutionary concept at the time. They complete their first building—16,000 square feet at 2900 Stafford Street—in southwest Baltimore City, which begins a four-year collaboration between the two men.

After four years, Leroy and Ed recognize that they each have their own unique philosophy on business and agree to split the company. Rather than employing a cast of lawyers and accountants, Ed divides the properties into two groups, and Leroy chooses. They move forward separately, each building successful commercial real estate companies and remaining life-long, friendly competitors. After the split, Leroy moves his company into its first offices on Brighton Avenue.

Scott Dorsey, Leroy’s cousin, joins Leroy’s new company after having spent 5 summers with his father’s concrete company pouring floors for Ed and Leroy’s warehouses. For years, Leroy and Scott share a “desk” made from a door set atop filing cabinets. This allows Scott to learn first-hand Leroy’s approach to business and gift for building long-lasting relationships with customers and vendors alike.

Wishing to make his simple brick warehouses look a little nicer for his customers, Leroy decides to add a mansard roof to two buildings at Aylesbury Business Center. He is surprised to receive a call from the county, expressing concern that the roof may not meet code requirements. While meeting with county officials to review the mansard, a senior official suggests to Leroy that the issue can easily be resolved with a $5,000 contribution to the county executive’s re-election campaign. Leroy refuses and spends over $13,000 fighting the county. He prevails and to this day, the mansard roof is a signature design element on Merritt buildings. The mansard also becomes a symbol to Merritt employees, reminding them of Leroy’s mantra to do what’s right, not what is expedient.

As a recognizable feature on Merritt buildings and a symbol of Leroy’s basic business principles, the mansard roof is incorporated into the company’s logo.

At the forefront of the racquetball craze, Merritt is approached to lease space for courts in Towson, MD. Unfortunately, once the space is completed, Leroy learns that the investors have backed out of the deal. Recognizing a new opportunity, Leroy takes over the business and opens the first Merritt racquetball facility, the Towson Court Club.

Always interested in new technologies and the efficiencies they bring, Merritt adds the IBM System 32 to the office.

The Towson Court Club is a success.  As the racquetball craze continues, Merritt decides to open another court club. The Annapolis Club opens. Merritt decides to capitalize on the social aspect of racquetball and adds a full-service bar to the club for members. It’s a hit. 

Merritt opens its third court club. The Security Club is the site of many national racquetball championship matches. Some of these matches are televised.

Wanting to bring a first-class office building to customers in the suburbs, Merritt builds Timonium I & II with high-end finishes and building amenities expected in a downtown office.

As the racquetball craze begins to wane, the clubs take advantage of new fitness trends and shift to full-service Athletic Clubs.

Dating back to the late 1800s, this iconic waterfront building originally served as home to the Scarlett Seed Company. Merritt transformed the building, combining unique office and retail spaces that integrate contemporary design with the historical architecture and industrial character of the original building.

After graduating college, Robb Merritt joins his father’s company, learning the business from the ground up as Leroy had. He begins his career on the field construction crew.

Merritt takes over the Downtown Athletic Club. This historic building was a former train repair station in the early 1900s. Members can still see the arches of the building where trains were brought in for repair.  The building has the only wooden roof truss system in the state.

Situated in the heart of the burgeoning Columbia business district, Merritt begins construction on an 18-acre park that will ultimately include five class A office buildings and retail.

With the collapse of the real estate market in the early 90s, Merritt’s 25th anniversary coincides with lean times. “Survive ‘til ’95” becomes the rallying cry. Even the company’s Christmas party consists only of a deli tray and beer, served in a vacant warehouse. While certainly not extravagant, the party is a celebration of the comraderie forged from facing adversity, and it becomes one of Robb Merritt’s favorite memories.

With a rebounding economy, Scott Dorsey and Robb Merritt travel to New York to seek equity that will allow the company to take advantage of greater development opportunities. What begins as an 8-year investment from Rothschild Realty, grows into a long-term partnership that continues today.

Working with a facilitator, the Merritt team codifies its core values and tagline, “Creating Homes for Businesses.”

Seeing another opportunity in the growing market of Loudoun County, Merritt begins expanding beyond Maryland into Northern Virginia. Opening the Virginia office at Ashbrook.

Leroy steps away from day-to-day operations, dubbing himself the CFO, Chief Fun Officer. Scott and Robb take over leadership.

Merritt kicks off the new millenium with a building boom, completing 16 new properties with more than 1 million square feet in the year 2000 alone.

Merritt realizes the increased competition of health clubs in Maryland and decides to start branching off into the family marketing. They start construction on their first family-oriented Club in Eldersburg.  The 75,000 square foot facility features a day care, children’s dance studio and two indoor pools. The revitalization of some areas in Baltimore City also makes the Federal Hill area very desirable. Merritt opens another location on Fort Avenue in Locust Point that same year.

Merritt becomes an official sponsor of the Baltimore Ravens.

Merritt moves the Fort Ave location from a shopping center to The Foundry, a building owned by Merritt Properties.  The club membership has grown so much more space is needed.

The loss of Leroy’s legendary warmth and humor is tremendous, but his ethics and approach to business continue to steer the company forward.

The White Marsh area is shown to be a popular family market with little competition for Clubs.  Merritt Properties buys a parcel of land and Merritt Construction builds the White Marsh location. The 55,000 square foot facility features an outdoor pool, large kids center and indoor cardio movie theater.

Merritt notches its seventh LEED-certified building, leading the way in Maryland.

Major expansion of Canton Club planned alongside development in region.