Michener Breaks Ground, Names Caterer

The James A. Michener Art Museum symbolicly broke ground Friday for its planned event pavilion and also named the exclusive caterer for the venue.

Jeffrey A. Miller Catering Co. of Philadelphia will hold sole catering rights to the 2,700-square-foot steel and glass addition that Michener is building.

The addition, the Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion, is the second phase of a $13.2 million expansion for the nationally renowned Doylestown art museum.

While demolition began two weeks ago, Friday’s event was celebrated with speakers and cutting a cake made in the shape of the new venue. The vanilla and white-frosted cake featured the new logo for the catering company at Michener.

Construction on the structure is expected to continue through the year, with a planned opening scheduled for 2012.

Designed by the Philadelphia-based architectural firm KieranTimberlake, the Putman Event Pavilion will serve as a premier venue for events such as weddings, private parties and corporate meetings. It will also serve as space dedicated to museum lectures, exhibition openings and the museum’s popular Jazz Nights series.

It is named after the late Edgar N. Putman, a leader in Doylestown business and society and founder of Penn Color, Inc.

In remarks made during the ceremony, Bruce Katsiff, director and CEO of the museum, said the addition will provide the museum with an additional stream of revenue to counter the declining support of government and corporate funding.

“The new pavilion will help the museum fulfill its mission by attracting new audiences and generating the funds to move the museum forward,” he said.

According to Michener officials, admissions generate 20 percent of the museum's funding. Rental income from the new venue is expected to bring in an additional $150,000 to $200,000.

Money from tourism is a “significant asset to the local economy,” said William F. Haas, president of the board of Visit Bucks County, another guest speaker. With more than 138,000 people coming to visit the museum last year, the new venue should help Michener “continue to grow as a destination definer for Bucks County,” added Haas. 

Miller said he views his new role in partnership with the as an “ambassador” for the arts.

Throughout its 20-year history, Miller’s company has tried to balance serving its patrons while honoring the history and culture of the venues in which they serve.

“Our guests leave with more than just a taste of fine dining,” Miller said. “They leave with a taste for the arts and often return to the sites on their own to explore at their leisure.”

Miller’s company has additional ties to Bucks County; it also is the caterer at in Doylestown and the Lake House Inn, Perkasie.