Interactive agriculture, cinematic visualizations, and more—all in the name of weed
Bostonians will always take pride in the fact that we got dispensaries near Fenway Park several years before one opened near Yankee Stadium.
But in the neverending back-and-forth battle for superlative status, New York can now lay claim to what appears to be a pretty remarkable home and ode cannabis culture and history.
On April 7, the House of Cannabis, a four-story, 25,000 square foot museum will open on lower Broadway in SoHo. From the outside, it’s an emerald corner castle that smokers may someday come to salute with a lit blunt held high out the window as they roll by.
On the inside, judging by the images released ahead of the grand opening and media sneak peeks, the exhibits seem thoughtful enough to lure in heads who might otherwise dismiss such an attraction as little more than a backdrop for Instagram. The basic setup is broken down into three areas:
- The “culture” floor, where “a cinematic visual explosion transports you through 6000 years of cannabis, spotlighting the evolution of this revered plant and its profound influence on human culture,” and you can “ride the high with friends on the biggest, spinning LP and experience the ultimate euphoric cannabis music festival where light and music collide in a synchronized spectacle.” All while bearing “witness to the personal testimonials exposing unjust oppression that underscores how cannabis culture is critical to social change.”
- On the “agriculture” floor you can “explore the seductive and cosmic agriculture of this flower with powers,” “observe the life-cycle of the plant in each stage of growth through New York’s first-ever, live urban grow,” and “be engulfed inside a cannabis molecule where otherworldly images deepen your comprehension of the remarkable plant’s infinite complexity and sheer beauty.” There’s also a celebrity element “with an installation that enables you and your friends to jump into lyrics created by famed rapper Curren$y exclusively for The House of Cannabis.”
- Finally, the “ascension” floor is an “indoor urban park” where you can “hear live music, sharpen your skills at rolling a joint, just chill,” or experience “AI artist Benjamin Gordon’s multi-disciplinary installation, designed to induce the sensation of being high without being high, wraps guests in an LED experience.”
THC NYC Co-Founder Marcelle Frey told Time Out New York, “Cannabis culture has a very rich history from every angle, whether it’s music, art, social reform issues that need to be addressed. It’s all about connectivity and community, and nobody had ever done anything like this.”
Frey added, “No one had ever created a home for cannabis that merged all of those ideas together. So we’re joining design and art and telling the narrative and the story of cannabis in a way that’s really elevated and true to what it is and its impact on human culture for so many years. We just felt that it deserved a home that had this gravitas.”
From the looks of this temple, it’s hard to disagree.
Just be sure to bring your own, since they don’t sell weed on site.
