Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods

Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods
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LocationColumbia, Howard County, Maryland
Area51 acres (21 ha)
Owned byColumbia Association
Operated byInner Arbor Trust
The Chrysalis
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Typeamphitheater
Genre(s)music, performing arts
Seating typelawn
Capacity10,000
Inner Arbor Trust
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Established26 April 2013 (2013-04-26)
LocationColumbia, Maryland
PresidentNina Basu
Websiteinnerarbortrust.org

Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods is a large central park in downtown Columbia, Maryland. The park includes the Chrysalis, a 2016 amphitheater with lawn seating. The Chrysalis has hosted musical performances, ballet, plays, Maker Faire, and numerous community events.

History

In 2013, former Rouse Company employee Michael McCall proposed county executive-backed plans to convert the wooded land into a destination park. McCall's company, Strategic Leisure, first proposed a $50 million publicly funded six-story parking garage at the Toby's Dinner Theatre location; later proposals included a 39-acre arts park with features such as an outdoor amphitheater called the Chrysalis, a 300-foot-long floating picnic table, and an 800-foot-long tube called the Caterpillar.[1] The new project was named the "Inner Arbor", a spin on another Rouse development, Baltimore's "Inner Harbor".[2] Artist William Cochran, Howard County native, was commissioned for artwork that includes horns up to 28 feet tall.[3]

The Chrysalis opened for its inaugural season in 2017.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hirsh, Athur (February 3, 2013). "New Proposal for Columbia". The Baltimore Sun.
  2. ^ Lavoie, Luke (May 16, 2014). "Town Center board asks Howard Council to pull Inner Arbor funding; $1.5 million pledged in county budget". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  3. ^ Holzberg, Janene (March 2, 2014). "Cochran making a sound contribution to his hometown of Columbia; Renowned artist creates multi-horn concept for Symphony Woods". The Baltimore Sun.
  4. ^ Holzberg, Janene (April 17, 2017). "Chrysalis amphitheater to open as first new structure at Merriweather Park". The Baltimore Sun.

39°12′35″N 76°51′44″W / 39.20980°N 76.86227°W / 39.20980; -76.86227