Prairiefire at LionsGate to include space for major museum exhibits
Kansas City Star, The (MO) - March 15, 2008
Author: JOYCE SMITH, The Kansas City Star
The developers of Prairiefire at LionsGate set out to make their mixed-use center a little different.
Not only upscale, but perhaps more cultured.
Now they are well on their way with a new agreement to host traveling exhibits by New York's famed American Museum of Natural History.
"What's unique about this," said Charles McLean, senior vice president for communications and marketing for the museum, "is typically the hosts are other museums ... in the big cities in the United States and around the world -- Chicago, Los Angeles, London. So this is very different for us.
"This gives us a chance to spread the mission of the museum more broadly. This is a major cultural outreach in the heartland of America."
The American Museum of Natural History, which was founded in 1869, is one of the world's pre-eminent scientific and cultural institutions and is rated by Zagat Survey as the third-most-popular attraction in the U.S., behind Disney's Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center. It has more than 30 million specimens and cultural artifacts and was the setting for the 2006 Ben Stiller movie "Night at the Museum."
The Merrill Cos. of Overland Park, developers of the $350 million Prairiefire development, will open a 30,000-square-foot freestanding building, tentatively called the Prairiefire Cultural Museum, to house the traveling exhibits. They are planning on two a year, starting in the fall of 2010 and running for 10 years -- from the latest dinosaur discoveries to Einstein's world-shaking theories.
Each exhibit will run four to five months, with other shows and activities scheduled during the exhibit exchange period.
"We try to come up with ways for customers to spend the day doing a variety of things rather than come in just to shop and leave," said Fred Merrill Jr., president of Merrill Cos. "Tenants like to be in developments where there are reasons to shop and stay. Studies have shown that they spend more when they do."
Shopping center developers are under increased competition to set their centers apart to attract top retail tenants as well as shoppers. Mixed-use centers also need amenities that will attract office and residential tenants.
This is especially true in southern Johnson County, which has several developments under construction or planned within a few miles.
"It's important in this competitive market that everybody find a niche and create a unique identity," said Jeff Alpert, principal with Park Place Partners LLC, developers of Park Place at 117th Street and Nall Avenue in Leawood. "I think the fact that we have a highly dense, urban-style community certainly makes us different from anything that has been built so far in Johnson County."
Merrill's interest in doing something unique helped land the natural history exhibits.
"They've demonstrated a real commitment to what we do here," McLean said. "They understand the value of the knowledge. They share our excitement about knowledge of the natural world, and their enthusiasm for this project is genuine."
The traveling exhibits will be organized by the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with other major national and international institutions such as the Field Museum in Chicago and the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Prairiefire at LionsGate, which is scheduled to open in summer 2010, is a 58-acre mixed-use development along 135th Street between Nall and Lamar avenues. It will offer upscale shopping, offices, restaurants, entertainments, golf course villas, loft apartments, condominiums and a boutique hotel.
But there also will be amenities such as a Native Wetlands Interpretive Walk, a one-acre central park for music and events, a hiking and biking trail, and a butterfly garden.
The Prairiefire Cultural Museum will show the museum's Science Bulletins -- capsules from the latest research on the natural world -- on HDTVs. The bulletins also will run on screens throughout Prairiefire.
"This is such a thinking community and a community that has such a high regard for education and meaningful experiences already," said Candy Merrill, director of marketing for Merrill Cos. "That's why we are so thrilled about (the museum exhibits) ... and opportunities for future events and education streaming into our community. We think our community is really open to that."
Edition: 1
Section: BUSINESS
Page: C1
Provided By: Knight-Ridder Digital
Index Terms: American Museum of Natural History; The American Museum of Natural History; Prairiefire Cultural Museum; Park Place Partners LLC; Field Museum; San Diego Natural History Museum; The Prairiefire Cultural Museum
Location(s): United States; Chicago; Los Angeles; London
Personal Name(s): Charles McLean; Ben Stiller; Fred Merrill Jr.; Jeff Alpert; Park Place; Candy Merrill
Record Number: 200803150001KNRIDDERMOKCITYS_prairiefire_031508
Copyright (c) 2008 The Kansas City Star