WELCOME CENTER UPDATE

The new year ushered in a new era at Meijer Gardens as we celebrate the soft opening of our highly anticipated Welcome Center. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome you, our members.

January 11 marked a milestone moment in our history, as we greeted our first guests in the new 69,000 square-foot, space. A masterful architectural expression of form and function, the Welcome Center greatly enhances the arrival, admission and orientation experience for guests––whose numbers have grown by nearly 300% since opening our doors in 1995—all the while embodying the artful duality of horticulture and sculpture at play.

It’s an expansion that honors Fred & Lena Meijer’s love for art, gardens and our community. Their vision and tenacity guided every step of our journey, which was only made possible by the generosity of the entire Meijer family and thousands of members, individuals, companies and foundations. We are ever grateful.

The Welcome Center unfolds over two levels. Main Level highlights include an expanded and relocated Peter C. & Emajean Cook Entryway and PNC Portico; expanded and relocated Ram’s Garden; Daniel & Pamella DeVos Ticketing Center; expanded coat room and restrooms; mobility center for complimentary wheelchairs and electric carts; O-A-K Theater and Garden Pavilion, which will open later this year with breathtaking horticultural displays and a stunning new sculpture titled Utopia by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. Adjacent to the Garden Pavilion will be a veranda, entered only through the Tassell-Wisner-Bottrall English Perennial Garden, and an ideal spot for events.

The lower Courtyard Level highlights include an expanded and relocated Peter M. Wege Library, archives and storage; Lievense Indoor Eating Area; and Mimi’s Garden, which features a glass enclosed sunken garden naturally lit from above. Our significant growth also necessitated widening the BISSELL Corridor, to accommodate increased traffic and provide more space for annual exhibitions and better access to sculpture galleries and indoor gardens.

The newness continues across our 158 acres, with the recent opening of the 20,000 square-foot, Covenant Learning Center, an engaging hub for curiosity-sparking learning experiences that fosters creative thinking, integrates technology and broadens our educational capabilities. The Peter C. & Emmajean Cook Transportation Center enhances our popular tram tour experience with more covered spaces, waiting areas, accessibility and restrooms for waiting guests.

The Courtyard Level offers views of the new Mimi's Garden

Outside, the reimagined Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater offers more seating, concessions, green room facilities and restrooms. The new Frey Foundation Plaza makes a stunning statement as it architecturally and functionally ties together the entrances to the Welcome Center and the Amphitheater—now the only two entrances into Meijer Gardens. The new Meijer-Shedleski Picnic Pavilion dramatically grew outdoor gathering space and offers convenient restrooms and parking nearby. Across our campus, we expanded parking areas to provide better access, always beautified by urban gardens.

Internationally renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien have led teams through every phase of planning, design and construction. Their thoughtful approach ensures a seamless flow between our existing architecture and new facilities. They are the visionaries behind the beautiful Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, which contains one of the most significant collection of Impressionist and early Modern art in the world and shares a multi-faceted mission akin to Meijer Gardens’. Tod and Billie’s current projects include the new U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, the renovation of David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City and the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, Chicago.

The coming year will be filled with more excitement as we continue to reveal our fresh aesthetic, new spaces, newly acquired sculptures and enhanced visitor experience. We are indeed keeping our promise to be always growing, always beautiful and always new.

Inside the expanded and relocated Peter C. & Emmajean Cook Entryway.