Indoor entertainment venue The Park RVA expanding with new outdoor deck – Richmond BizSense

Two years after opening as a massive indoor entertainment facility, The Park RVA is expanding outdoors.

Basim Mansour

The 55,000-square-foot venue at 1407 Cummings Drive is in the process of adding a second-story deck off part of the muraled building it shares with HVAC company Michael & Son, whose president, Basim Mansour, co-owns The Park.

“Richmond loves outdoor space, and we love Richmond, so we’re building a deck that’s going to give them outdoor space,” Mansour said.

Construction on the 4,700-square-foot deck got underway a few weeks ago, and steel framing and supports are now taking shape. Project manager Art Ayvazian said decking and siding would start going up soon, with the walls of the structure resembling the siding of The Park’s entrance and supporting a glass ceiling above the deck.

“We’re going to have a Trex deck and the siding is going to match to the elevator siding, and we are going to have glass on the top. It’s going to look very nice,” Ayvazian said.

The deck will extend 26 feet from the building and 186 feet along the south wall east of The Park’s entrance. The deck will be accessible from The Park’s food hall and bar areas and include seating and tables, with an occupant load of just over 300 people.

Plans show the deck with various seating off The Park’s south wall east of its entrance. (City documents)

Two single-occupant bathrooms also are being added to an existing mechanical room inside the doors. The area below the deck will remain open.

Michael & Son is the general contractor on the project, which Ayvazian said should finish in about six weeks. He put the cost of the deck at $500,000. Falls Church-based Buildix designed the structure.

The deck adds a new space to the sprawling $8 million indoor venue, which includes a mix of entertainment options such as an 18-lane duckpin bowling alley, an 18-hole mini golf course, three virtual golf bays, three bars, a six-restaurant food hall, a beer garden-style area with self-pour taps, a banquet hall, and an auditorium for live music, comedy acts and corporate functions.

The structure will have siding similar to the venue’s entrance.

Mansour had always planned to add an outdoor space at The Park, though his initial vision was a rooftop venue atop The Tower, the six-story former Wyeth building that’s part of the Michael & Son complex.

Since opening in late 2022, The Park has seen ups and downs in business levels but has added weekly events and remained busy on Friday and Saturday nights, said Tamara Mansour, Basim’s wife and general manager and a co-owner of The Park.

“When we first opened, we were very popular. Then it started slowing down, and now we’re back on track,” she said. “Our Fridays and Saturdays have been really busy; we do bingo on Thursdays. We have a lot of events in there, so it’s mostly event space and a very popular Friday and Saturday night.”

A 60-foot main bar centers the venue and features multiple large-screen TVs.

The Mansours said they’ve put more emphasis on hospitality and made adjustments to their events and food staff, including rehiring executive chef Robert Oatley, who recently returned after stepping away from The Park for personal reasons. Oatley has worked for Emeril Lagassi and Wolfgang Puck and before The Park was at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

“We were lucky enough to get back Chef Robert, who has vast experience in large establishments in Vegas and large restaurants,” Basim Mansour said. “He is really elevating the food we have at The Park.”

He said The Park brings in between 5,000 and 7,000 guests a week. Basim did not disclose the venue’s revenue numbers.

He said more new things are in store for The Park, including potentially more outdoor space on another part of the property. He declined to go into more detail before filing for needed city permits.

Of The Park overall, Basim said: “We’re really putting all our focus in the hospitality, in customer service and the execution of a great experience. We’re going back to basics, and we just want a great environment. We’re here for a long time; we’re here for the long play.”