John DeWolf
COLUMBIA, MD (May 9, 2017) - The Howard Hughes Corporation (NYSE: HHC) announced today that Wecker Hospitality Group will open Cured, an innovative restaurant that embodies the rustic elegance of the region’s recipes of the past with a modern new twist, and 18th & 21st, a cocktail lounge featuring both imaginative dining and live music that gives a nod to the classics. Both exciting new additions to Downtown Columbia will be located on the ground level of the One Merriweather office building at the corner of Broken Land Parkway and Little Patuxent Parkway.
Popular local restaurateur Steve Wecker, leader of the award-winning Iron Bridge Wine Co. and Mutiny Pirate Bar & Island Grille operations, is the creative mind behind both Cured and 18th & 21st that are scheduled to open this winter.
“Our idea for the space marries two of the most popular trends in restaurants today but with our twist,” Wecker explained. “It is exciting to join with others in transforming the center of Columbia into a real Downtown,” Wecker said.“Columbia has always been a special place and has been recognized for its extraordinary quality of life. With Cured and 18th & 21st we are adding two more reasons why this is a great place to live, work and play while also seeking to emulate the neighborhood feel we have achieved with Iron Bridge and Mutiny.”
Cured, an 125-seat restaurant, will feature a comfortable ambiance with an artfully curated menu crafted by the restaurant’s culinary specialists. The forgotten cooking traditions of the Mid-Atlantic region will be reimagined for the modern palette with an ever changing array of imaginative dishes paired with a carefully curated selection of rustic cocktails and craft beers. The space is 4,000 square feet on the ground floor of One Merriweather, a 200,000 square foot office building which opened as the home of MedStar Health.
18th & 21st is named after the Constitutional Amendments that created and repealed prohibition and will be an intimate 1,900 square foot “modern speakeasy” with a 38-seat dining room and larger bar and lounge where live music will be heard six nights a week. 18th & 21st showcases both the Cocktail Renaissance of original creations and perfectly executed classics and an inventive kitchen where artistry meets New American Cuisine. Customers will be able to access 18th & 21st through an unmarked door in the back of Cured.
“The Wecker Hospitality Group’s new additions will add to the area’s vibrancy as we work to establish an exciting progressive food and dining culture in Downtown Columbia.” said John DeWolf, Senior Vice President, The Howard Hughes Corporation.“Cured and 18th & 21st are evident steps in our long-term vision of attracting a blend of the best retail, dining and entertainment players from the region, as well as nationally. We have no doubt that both will be destination sites for local residents and visitors to the region looking for an excellent meal and nightlife activities.”
The Wecker Hospitality Group’s decision to open unique dining and entertainment offerings in Downtown Columbia is the latest in The Howard Hughes Corporation’s recent announcements surrounding the redevelopment of the 391-acre center of Columbia by The Howard Hughes Corporation.
At full build-out, the Downtown Columbia revitalization will include 14 million square feet of mixed-use development comprised of 4.3 million square feet of commercial office space, 1.25 million square feet of street retail, 6,244 residential units and 640 hotel rooms.To date, 10 percent of the redevelopment plan is under construction or complete.
Columbia, which is currently celebrating its 50th birthday with six months of festivities, was recognized in the October 2016 issue of Money Magazine, which listed the city in first place of The Best Places to Live in America.
About Downtown Columbia
One of the first master planned communities in the U.S., Columbia, MD, was founded by legendary developer James W. Rouse in 1967. Comprised of 14,000 acres, it includes ten primarily residential villages that are largely sold out and a deep pipeline of commercial development opportunities. The underdeveloped core of Columbia became the subject of an extensive five-year process that culminated with the passage by the Howard County government of the Downtown Columbia Plan in 2010, a guide to creating a vital area “in which residents can live, shop, work, entertain, exercise, and enjoy cultural opportunities in an enriched natural setting.”
About The Howard Hughes Corporation
The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate throughout the U.S. Our properties include master planned communities, operating properties, development opportunities and other unique assets spanning 14 states from New York to Hawaii. The Howard Hughes Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as HHC with major offices in New York, Columbia, MD, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas and Honolulu. For additional information about HHC, visit: www.howardhughes.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
