Built as the summer home of the National Symphony Orchestra and designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, Merriweather Post Pavilion has long been a place for the arts, bringing together music and creative expression in many forms.
Take a walk through the venue’s history along our History Walk. Located on the North Lawn, the Merriweather PAST Pavilion highlights past schedules, photographs, and poster art from the venue’s opening in 1967 onward. Each panel reflects a different decade and its style, offering an artistic look at how the venue has evolved over time.
On your way to the Merriweather PAST Pavilion, stop by the Legends Sculpture Garden, which honors six iconic artists who have performed here – Willie Nelson, Tina Turner, Robert Plant, Miles Davis, Dolly Parton, and Jimi Hendrix – through sculptures by visionary French artist Bernard Pras.
Each anamorphic piece is designed to be viewed from a specific point – use the viewer to see the image come into focus. Then take a moment to walk around the sculptures and notice how they shift and transform from different angles.
Merriweather’s early sculpture collection includes two works by Washington, D.C.-based artist Robert T. Cole: Madre della Pace (Mother of Peace) and Padre del Tempo (Father Time). Madre della Pace, a sixteen-foot stainless steel piece, was recognized at the Florence Biennale in 2003 before being installed at Merriweather.
