Strathmore Unveils $10 Million Expansion Plan (PHOTOS)

PHOTO | Grimm and Parker, Strathmore

Strathmore released image renderings of its $10 million expansion project that will add 5,000 square feet of glass enclosed space to the venue, on Monday.

According to a news release, the expanded space will add 200 seats to address much needed space for pre-concert dining and also presents possibilities for rentals, meetings, and performances.

“This project will be the capstone to the Music Center at Strathmore, extending to our patrons a level of customer service, dining, and mobility no less grand than the remarkable concert hall itself,” Eliot Pfanstiehl, Strathmore’s chief executive officer, said. “It is the Manifest Destiny of this fully realized dream, begun in 2005”  Pfanstiehl said.

The extension will enclose the Bou Terrace and help address patron mobility with the addition of an escalator descending from the building’s main Promenade level to the Orchestra level. The decision was based on patron analysis and feedback to enhance accessibility and reduce congestion, the news release stated. The glass panels will be able to open to the outside.

The State of Maryland has invested an initial $3 million in the project, while the remaining funds will come from a mix of State and County support, as well as private funding sources.

“When the Music Center opened in 2005, it was the culmination of an exemplary public/private partnership that greatly benefited our community. I’m pleased to support Strathmore as we again work together to bring the original vision for the Music Center to fruition,”  Maryland Senator Richard Madaleno said. “Already known as the cultural heart of Montgomery County, the renovations proposed by Strathmore will enhance the Music Center’s value to the community, with flexible space and improved amenitie,” he said.

The project is scheduled to be completed in January of 2020, in time for the Music Center’s 15^th anniversary.

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