Illustration courtesy of War Horse Cities

A music venue and food hall will open in College Park by the summer, adding to the city’s at efforts to remake itself as a top-tier college town.

Located in two buildings totaling 12,000 square feet near the new WeWork and the Hotel at the University of Maryland, the Hall CP will include “a teaching kitchen, a production space, a restaurant, a music venue, a rehearsal and performance space, and a courtyard,” according to developer War Horse Cities.

In an interview with BisNow, War Horse Cities CEO Scott Plank, who earned a degree in urban planning from UMD, said the concept was based on a successful pop-up project in San Francisco, which aimed to bring together the tech community and the neighborhood in a kind of “town square.”

“We’re investing in the WeWork building, which is similar to what they do in other places but smaller, and investing in the hall in an entrepreneurial way by giving people exactly what they need to do but nothing more,” he said. “We’re not putting in marble floors and shiny countertops. We are putting in great quality food shops and coffee shops. Also, we have a performing arts space and meeting space enclosed. In the backyard I think we can throw some fun parties and tailgates.”

The project is in a similar vein as MilkBoy ArtHouse, which successfully duplicated a successful venue in Philadelphia with a boost from the university.

The new venues add a much-needed hipster vibe to the college town, while also being approachable enough for people staying at the nearby hotel and working in the nearby Discovery District research park. With a Purple Line stop around the corner and new apartments aimed at non-student renters up the street, the Hall CP could help make College Park a great post-college town too.

