WASHINGTON — Food, booze and music will soon unite for a happy trifecta of fun in North Bethesda.
Strathmore is opening a new performance space at Pike & Rose, a mixed-use development at Montrose Parkway, Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road, near White Flint Metro Station.
AMP will feature 250 seats, a 2,800-square-foot indoor space, a green room and a 1,100-square-foot pre-function space.
“The idea is to create a more intimate space in Montgomery County for music,” says Evan Goldman, vice president of development at Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns Pike & Rose.
Strathmore will curate entertainment programming, which promises to include everything from jazz to folk and rock, says Strathmore founder and CEO Eliot Pfanstiehl.
“We have a wide variety of cultures in Montgomery County. We have a variety of tastes in Montgomery County and they want to see lots of different things, which you can’t risk in a big, big hall,” he says.
Pfanstiehl says AMP will be “Strathmore 3.0.”
The famous concert hall started out in a 100-year-old mansion in 1983. In 2001, the venue broke ground on its current campus on Tuckerman Lane. The addition of AMP, Strathmore’s first off-site venue, marks the beginning of a new era.
“It will give us the ability to take more risks,” Pfanstiehl says. “We can do concert performances for 250 [people] or we can do comedy or even theatrical performances.”
Perched on a roof, AMP will feature glass windows to allow views of the surrounding area. Food and beverages will be provided by Neighborhood Restaurant Group, the folks behind D.C. watering holes Church Key and Bluejacket.
The goal is to create a full dining and entertainment experience, Goldman says.
“This will be something that you want to go to on a weekend night, even if it weren’t for great music,” he says. “We want this to be, really, a growing centerpiece for nightlife and entertainment in Montgomery County.”
Performances will be limited to Thursday through Saturday, Pfanstiehl says, adding that the space will be available for rental on off-nights for weddings and other private events. Tickets will likely range from $20 to $70, depending on the act.
Music is slated to start in 2015. Rentals can be scheduled starting this fall.
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