WASHINGTON — A Hamilton-like music venue is coming to Howard County.
Clyde’s Restaurant Group — which in 2011 opened The Hamilton, a huge music-and-dining venue in D.C.’s Penn Quarter — plans something similar in Columbia, Maryland.
The venue doesn’t have a name yet, but it does have a space: a former restaurant next to Clyde’s of Columbia.
Clyde’s will convert its casual Italian restaurant, The Tomato Palace, into a live music and event space with cutting-edge technology, sound and lighting. The space will also be available for private events and meetings.
“We were energized by the popularity of The Hamilton,” said Tom Meyer, president of Clyde’s Restaurant Group, in a statement. “Howard County has a thriving arts and culture community, but an absence of intimate venues to hear live music year-round.”
The new music venue is expected to open by the end of 2017, as is part of the redevelopment of the 391-acre center of Columbia by its developer, The Howard Hughes Corporation.
The downtown Columbia revitalization will eventually include 14 million square feet of mixed-use development, including 4.3 million square feet of commercial office space, 1.25 million square feet of retail, residential units and hotel rooms.
About 10 percent of the redevelopment plan is currently under construction or complete.
Clyde’s Restaurant Group operates 12 restaurants in the D.C. area. The first, Clyde’s of Georgetown, opened in 1963.
