Merriweather Unveils $19M Upgrade

The singer-songwriter’s addition to the program was more than just a nice touch, given Johnson’s support for environmental causes.

His current tour – which included a Merriweather stop that night – is supporting 140 non-profits through his All At Once program, which encourages fans to get engaged and take environmental action, according to a statement.

Johnson has, over the years, encouraged the I.M.P.-managed Merriweather to get a little greener. Some of his suggestions have already been taken up at the venue, including a solar array to power house and backstage lighting, composting facilities and an onsite biodiesel fueling station for tour buses.

But the star of the show was still Merriweather Post Pavilion, the venerable Frank Gehry-designed outdoor theatre near the center of Columbia.

The $19 million schedule of improvements to MPP will include new seating and a raised main roof, new restrooms and concessions, artist dressing rooms, stage and greening upgrades, which will take place in stages over five years – all without disrupting the I.M.P.-managed venue’s concert season.

“Merriweather is one of the best places to see a concert in the entire country, and these investments will make sure future generations have an even better experience,” Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said. “With so much growth and excitement in downtown Columbia, we needed to work to make sure that Merriweather is ready for its next act.”

In addition to the environmental upgrades already started at MPP, the venue will develop a system to capture storm runoff for use as property irrigation, expand up to 12 times its current solar capacity, replace current lighting with LED fixtures, and replace all bathrooms and concession buildings to meet high efficiency standards.

Howard County Council approved last month $9.5 million in funding a loan for renovations, which will be matched by $9.5 million from Howard Hughes Corp., which owns the venue.

As part of the agreement, the ownership of Merriweather will transfer from Hughes to the Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission.

The future of Merriweather Post Pavilion has at times been a point of contention between the city, county and owners.

The May agreement seems to have finally settled the question. “It will be a challenge to make [Merriweather] even better, but it’s going to be a lot of fun working on it,” Hurwitz said. “Fortunately, everyone involve is now on the same page towards that goal.”