Legacy of love: Fred & Lena Meijer’s romance with community lives on
A just-announced $115M capital campaign outlines plans to expand Meijer Gardens with four new structures, renovations, expansions in transportation, new sculptures, and a $15M endowment fund.
The staff at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park who knew Fred Meijer before he passed away speak of him with an intense fondness and admiration that’s rare to see. They speak of his genuine love for people, his inclusivity, his humility — and his willingness to take risks.
“Well, we didn’t know what we were doing when we started the gardens,” said Meijer when speaking of its formation, “but it turned out OK.”
“He was a master of understatement, but you get the point,” says present-day President and CEO David Hooker. “It shows that over the years, we’ve been willing to try things. Some things have worked out really well, others not so much — but our willingness to change, and to do things that our guests want us to do, has been very helpful.”
Now Meijer Gardens are embarking on a new risk again, announcing this morning a new $115 million capital campaign titled “Welcoming the World: Honoring a Legacy of Love.” Citing exponential growth statistics since 1999, the Gardens’ leadership has decided it’s time to up their game. Hooker attributes the growth primarily to the quality and breadth of programming available at the Gardens.
“What really brings people in is the programming. The things that engage people, and get them to say ‘we need to come out to the gardens today,’” says Hooker. He references the popularity of annual exhibits like the butterflies, Christmas temporary sculpture and art installations, and the most recent Ai Weiwei exhibit. “It’s that event-specific programming that gets people to come out. Then you connect with our total mission.”
It’s a simple enough mission — one which Meijer Gardens has been achieving, by the numbers.
“Our mission statement talks about promoting the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of sculpture, horticulture, and the arts. To me, the most important word is enjoyment. Our job is to bring joy to people,” says Hooker.
And once audiences are hooked, that joy keeps them coming back — as evidenced by a 213% increase in annual member households since 1999.
Realizing the campaign’s funds into that joyful experience are architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, principles of a New York firm with a world-class portfolio including Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation and, most recently, Chicago’s new Barack Obama Presidential Center.
According to the release, the 4-year construction project will include:
- A new 60,000 square foot, LEED certified Welcome Center (including a new Garden Pavilion near the Tropical Conservatory)
- A new 20,000 square foot, LEED certified Covenant Learning Center (includes six classrooms, indoor and outdoor learning spaces, administrative and welcome spaces)
- A new Peter C. and Emajean Cook Transportation Center (a hub for expanded tram tours, transportation, and visitor amenities)
- Expanded and upgraded Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater (includes additional sponsor seating and a new concessions complex)
- A new Sculpture Garden Entry Plaza (will create covered walkway and drop-off space, as well as room for new sculptures)
- A reimagined and expanded BISSELL, Inc. Scenic Corridor
- A new Outdoor Picnic Pavilion (expanded picnic space)
- A new Padnos Families Rooftop Sculpture Garden
- Expanded and accessible parking and urban gardens (will double the number of parking spaces within a two-minute walk of the entrance)
In addition to these physical additions, the campaign includes a $15 million endowment fund.
Noteworthy in the plans are the expansions being made to transportation and a focus on accessibility. Physical access is foundational to the Gardens’ mission, Hooker says, pointing out the many subtle features of their facilities which promote access (hands-free doors, consistent ramps, open bathrooms). This is important, Hooker says, because it was so important to Fred Meijer, who notoriously commissioned the miniature sculpture of The American Horse accompanied by a braille plaque, so that the blind wouldn’t be excluded from enjoying the sculpture.
The lives that are positively impacted — that’s the most important part. — David Hooker, President & CEO
In terms of expanding economic access to the Gardens, the endowment fund will support and likely expand current endowment-funded programming — such as the hundreds of school field trips (which are covered under the Gardens’ endowment), other educational programming, and the Gardens’ free membership checkout at the Grand Rapids Public Library.
Under this last program, any local resident with a library card for the Grand Rapids Public libraries can check out a membership to Meijer Gardens, and visit free of charge for a week at a time through their “Check It Out” program.
According to Hooker, Meijer Gardens has already secured $101.2 million of the $115 million needed for their capital campaign.
“The philanthropic roots we have in this community are amazing,” says Hooker, noting “the Meijer family and so many others” as sources of the initial funding. “Already the community is saying this is a good thing, we need to do this.”
The remaining 12%, Hooker says, will be “a major job. It’s one that we embrace, it energizes us — it’s how Meijer Gardens make peoples’ lives better.”
