By John VanderHaagen
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has announced the soft opening of the new Welcome Center to the public on Jan. 11 at 9 a.m. The 69,000 square-foot building greatly enhances the arrival, admission and orientation experience for guests. The Welcome Center features contemporary sculpture as well as horticultural elements throughout.

Please note: The Jan. 11 opening is a soft opening, and not all areas of the building will be open and accessible until fall of 2021. Additional information will be sent regarding the Opening Celebration and Dedication.

“The magnificent new Welcome Center is made possible by the generosity of Fred & Lena Meijer, the extended Meijer family and hundreds of individuals, companies and foundations,” said President & CEO David Hooker. “The Welcome Center was created in response to an unprecedented embrace of our mission as reflected in our attendance, membership and donor base growth…Our architects, artists and garden designers have created a place to experience our mission that is truly world-class.”

Located at the beginning of the journey into the 158-acre main campus, the Welcome Center complements the glass architectural lines of the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory and serves as a place for guests to comfortably purchase tickets or a membership, view an orientation film and receive information about their visit. The design ties together the many parts of Meijer Gardens into a coherent and understandable whole and serves to welcome everyone who enters.

The Welcome Center is comprised of two levels, the Main Level and the lower Courtyard Level. Main Level exterior and interior highlights include an expanded and relocated Peter C. and Emajean Cook Entryway, PNC Portico, expanded and relocated Ram’s Garden, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Ticketing Center, expanded coat room and restrooms, a Mobility Center for complimentary wheelchairs and electric carts, O-A-K Theater and the Garden Pavilion, featuring horticultural displays and the new sculpture titled Utopia by the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. The Garden Pavilion is scheduled to open later this year. Courtyard Level highlights include an expanded and relocated Peter M. Wege Library, archives and storage, Lievense Indoor Eating Area and a Courtyard Level garden named Mimi’s Garden, featuring a glass enclosed sunken garden that is naturally lit from above.

The new Welcome Center and recently completed Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater and related facilities were designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien.

In addition to horticultural details throughout, the Welcome Center will feature prominent works of Contemporary sculpture by celebrated international artists: Jaume Plensa, George Segal, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, El Anatsui, Kenneth Snelson, Alexander Calder and Marshall Fredericks, whose work first caught the eye of Fred Meijer and began his passion for collecting sculpture. Part of the permanent sculpture collection, the placement of these pieces and horticultural elements reflects the greater Meijer Gardens mission as evidenced throughout the Gardens & Sculpture Park.  The exterior and Frey Foundation Plaza leading into the Welcome Center will feature sculpture by Marshall Fredericks, Tony Cregg, Manuel Neri and Henri Laurens.

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