Merriweather Post unveils $1 million upgrade
New concession stand, 'green' improvements added
By Derek Simmonsen
dsimmonsen@patuxent.com
Posted 6/01/09
The operators of Merriweather Post Pavilion on Monday unveiled a new concession stand, restrooms and environmentally friendly improvements to the Columbia concert venue.
I.M.P., the Bethesda-based company that manages and books shows at Merriweather, and the site’s owner, General Growth Properties, spent roughly $1 million to upgrade the facility this year, said Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P.
“People are always telling me how much they love Merriweather,” Hurwitz said. “We need to make sure it keeps going. ... We want people to love coming here — that’s the bottom line.”
A new building that houses a concession stand and bathrooms was built to be energy-efficient, following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The roof will include live grass that collects rainwater and helps avoid runoff.
Other green improvements include a biodiesel fueling station and the addition of several hundred trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses. The improvements include new sculptures and landscaping, such as a 15-foot-tall rooster made out of farm equipment, a grass maze and a 26-foot-tall boulder sculpture.
Visitors can also play rock-and-roll-themed pinball machines as part of a new “Music Pinball Hall of Fame Arcade.” Games cost a quarter and proceeds from the attraction will go towards establishing a National Pinball Museum in Maryland, Hurwitz said.
The revamped Merriweather will have three times as many bathrooms as it does now and is expanding its menu to include quesadillas, pitas, crab cakes and pizza. County Executive Kenneth Ulman and state delegates Guy Guzzone and Elizabeth Bobo all praised the site’s operators and cited the venue as a model of environmental friendly design.
“We fought to save Merriweather Post Pavilion. Now we’re rebuilding Merriweather,” Ulman said. “I think it’s just the beginning.”
General Growth plans to turn the facility over to the public within about 10 years of beginning its redevelopment of downtown Columbia, according to a proposal submitted by the company to the county. The plans call for beginning renovations at the facility within six months of plan approval, and transforming it into a cultural hub in Town Center and a year-round destination.
The county Planning Board is currently reviewing those plans and is scheduled to hold meetings on the proposal through the end of June.
This article has been updated.
I.M.P., the Bethesda-based company that manages and books shows at Merriweather, and the site’s owner, General Growth Properties, spent roughly $1 million to upgrade the facility this year, said Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P.
“People are always telling me how much they love Merriweather,” Hurwitz said. “We need to make sure it keeps going. ... We want people to love coming here — that’s the bottom line.”
A new building that houses a concession stand and bathrooms was built to be energy-efficient, following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The roof will include live grass that collects rainwater and helps avoid runoff.
Other green improvements include a biodiesel fueling station and the addition of several hundred trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses. The improvements include new sculptures and landscaping, such as a 15-foot-tall rooster made out of farm equipment, a grass maze and a 26-foot-tall boulder sculpture.
Visitors can also play rock-and-roll-themed pinball machines as part of a new “Music Pinball Hall of Fame Arcade.” Games cost a quarter and proceeds from the attraction will go towards establishing a National Pinball Museum in Maryland, Hurwitz said.
The revamped Merriweather will have three times as many bathrooms as it does now and is expanding its menu to include quesadillas, pitas, crab cakes and pizza. County Executive Kenneth Ulman and state delegates Guy Guzzone and Elizabeth Bobo all praised the site’s operators and cited the venue as a model of environmental friendly design.
“We fought to save Merriweather Post Pavilion. Now we’re rebuilding Merriweather,” Ulman said. “I think it’s just the beginning.”
General Growth plans to turn the facility over to the public within about 10 years of beginning its redevelopment of downtown Columbia, according to a proposal submitted by the company to the county. The plans call for beginning renovations at the facility within six months of plan approval, and transforming it into a cultural hub in Town Center and a year-round destination.
The county Planning Board is currently reviewing those plans and is scheduled to hold meetings on the proposal through the end of June.
This article has been updated.
user comments (1)
user tom3 says...
So for all you naysayers that doubted GGP's commitment to improving MWP because of the bankruptcy filing what do you have to say now? Can you believe Gregg Hamm now?
Posted 9:22 PM, 06.02.09 | Permalink
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