After over a decade of planning and negotiations, owners of The BOB (Big Old Building) in downtown Grand Rapids will break ground on a $5 million outdoor festival marketplace, biergarten, and entertainment venue. The expansion encompasses what's now a parking lot to the north and east of The BOB (20 Monroe Ave. NW) and will transform it into a 40,000-square-foot European-style piazza with a 22,000-square-foot, two-story entertainment venue.
Greg Gilmore, managing partner for
The Gilmore Collection which owns
The BOB, says phase one involves renovating the former
Gilly's restaurant in the existing building and opening it to the adjacent outdoor piazza. The new restaurant, with a new menu that includes craft beers, oysters and shared plates, will open July 1.
After
ArtPrize 2013, Gilmore plans to break ground on the rest of the project, which will provide a park-like gathering space in the center of the city with walkways, streams, and a small pine forest.
"My goal is to create a place for the community to gather," Gilmore says. "We want to create that third place to come and hang out, sit at a picnic table next to a fire pit, and work on their homework or read a newspaper."
Gilmore plans to feature The BOB's microbrews in the biergarten -- a microbrewery that he says is past time to promote.
"Sixteen years ago, I buried it in the basement (of The BOB) because I didn't think the stainless tanks were very attractive, and for 16 years, people have been saying 'you have a brewery?'" he says with a chuckle.
The entertainment venue will seat up to 1,500 for mid-sized concerts, drive-in movies for bikes and skateboards, and other events. Huge exterior doors will open the venue to the piazza for crowds to flow through during large events like ArtPrize.
Marketplace kiosks will be available for lease to entrepreneurs as a type of business incubator where they can sell their goods or foods.
The entire project will be complete by June 1, 2014.
Source: Greg Gilmore, The Gilmore Collection; Chris Knape,
SeyferthPR
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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