<\/p>\n
Sphere Entertainment Cos. built the largest spherical building on Earth in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Now it wants to build a smaller one outside D.C.<\/p>\n
The company behind Sphere unveiled plans Sunday night for what it says will be the world\u2019s first \u201cmini-Sphere<\/a>\u201d venue off the Potomac River in Maryland, a 6,000-seat immersive experience that would open in 2030.<\/p>\n The smaller cousin of the famed Vegas attraction would offer the same features as the original.<\/p>\n It would be roughly a third of the size, but would cost half as much to build \u2014 more than $1 billion, situated near an existing casino at National Harbor. With its 4D experience, the venue is expected to generate $1 billion in economic activity annually by hosting large-scale, immersive concerts with in-residence artists, sporting events, other shows and corporate functions.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/i>This Sphere in National Harbor, it will have all the elements that we have in Las Vegas,\u201d David \u201cDigger\u201d Granville-Smith, Sphere Entertainment Co.\u2019s executive vice president, said in an interview.<\/p>\n As he described it, the mini-Sphere would have sight lines to the Washington Monument, making it visible on flight paths to Reagan National Airport \u2014 its domed, LED-paneled exterior sparkling with ads and art installations on its \u201cExosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n That is, if it all goes as planned.<\/p>\n The deal includes roughly $200 million in incentives Maryland governments and a private company offered \u2014 mostly public subsidies and tax incentives to defray the cost.<\/p>\n Granville-Smith said the company signed a \u201cletter of intent\u201d with Peterson Cos., the developers of the National Harbor development that is anchored by an MGM casino and has restaurants, shopping and a 180-foot Ferris wheel.<\/p>\n Peterson Cos. offered to negotiate a discount on the 8 acres needed to build it, a roughly $15 million contribution, a state official said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe looked around the globe, quite frankly, for partners. We were looking for forward-thinking cities and states,\u201d <\/i>Granville-Smith said.<\/p>\n Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Prince George\u2019s County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy (D) each toured the original Sphere \u2014 he saw Kenny Chesney rehearse, she saw a Zac Brown show \u2014 and have developed a package of tax breaks, government-backed loans and incentive programs that add up to almost $185 million, according to the state.<\/p>\n Many incentives require a public vote, however, including $10 million in financing from the state at a time when Maryland faces a $1.4 billion budget deficit<\/a>. It also calls for forgoing as much as $130 million in future local tax money, building a $40 million public parking garage and tweaking existing incentives for National Harbor offered by Prince George\u2019s County, which is reeling from multiple economic punches in the past year.<\/p>\n Moore called the mini-Sphere project \u201ca massive, massive deal\u201d and the type of economic diversification needed in a state battered by federal job losses<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re just absolutely thrilled,\u201d he said in a joint interview with Braveboy and Granville-Smith. \u201cIt\u2019s just an absolute perfect marriage.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n Braveboy said Sphere \u201creally merges technology with entertainment to create an experience like no other. I’ve been there myself and I can tell you that it’s not just a place to go, it is an experience. You leave there feeling like you’ve been somewhere.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n To those unfamiliar, know this: It\u2019s Sphere. It\u2019s not the<\/i> Sphere, despite how badly you want it to be \u2014 and despite how many people you\u2019ll hear call it that.<\/p>\n