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The Big Apple is getting its very own cannabis museum this coming winter, thanks to the former Las Vegas nightclub owner Robert Frey.
The businessman is said to have signed a 10-year lease for a historic SoHo building at 427 Broadway and Howard Street, which he plans to turn into a 30,000-square-foot marijuana museum dubbed The House of Cannabis, reported The Real Deal.
The museum’s exhibit will include marijuana-related artwork and artifacts.
“We’re just excited because New Yorkers are true cannabis enthusiasts,” said Frey, who is backed by cannabis venture capital firm Merida Capital Holdings. “We thought it’d be a great place to launch our museum exhibit. We want it to be kind of the beacon for people to learn about cannabis.”
For now, Frey plans to convert the three floors of the building into a gallery that will tell the story of marijuana’s history and feature weed-inspired artwork.
“We wanted to combine a lot of topics under one roof and put it in an environment where people can really explore, educate themselves and understand what cannabis is about, and the impact on New York,” said Frey, who also helped create the star-studded clubs the Pussycat Dolls Lounge and Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas.
Also dubbed THCNYC, the new cultural institution will feature LED light shows, sound technology and digital journeys as well, he added.
Frey highlighted that the museum will not sell cannabis. “We want to really help all the dispensaries, whether they want to use us to launch brands or however they see that we can help their programs.”
Meanwhile, the NY Office of Cannabis Management recently announced it will begin accepting applications for Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses starting on August 25, 2022. The application window will close on September 26, 2022.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been reposted with permission.
