The developers of the Fillmore music hall project released a draft of new information at a community meeting late last month. It looks like Live Nation’s new venue, across from the AFI Silver Theatre in downtown Silver Spring, may start hosting major shows in 18 months.
Bruce Lee, president of landowner Lee Development, led the presentation of never-before-seen floor plans and a 3-D flyby to about 50 local residents and landowners. He praised the vibrant Silver Spring “arts and entertainment” neighborhood as attracting Live Nation, as well as the proximity of AFI, which is also a neighbor to the Fillmore in Los Angeles.
Lee cited a “very creative and complicated relationship” between his company, Live Nation, and Montgomery County, including donation of 10,000 square feet of land that makes the Fillmore count as the required “public amenity space” for a three-building complex. The county has issued initial approval for the project, including a 14-story hotel and office building, green roofs, and multiple parking levels. Those buildings might not go up for years, depending on the economy.
The Fillmore would come much sooner, preserving and expanding the former J.C. Penney storefront, currently just a shallow facade. Three levels of plans showed a good-sized music hall, sporting a main level with standing room for up to 1,200 fans, plus balcony risers accommodating 800 to 950 more. Two bars flank the main floor, with one upstairs for the balconies and a lounge-like space in the basement.
Overall, the Fillmore plan clearly resembles the layout of the 1,200-capacity 9:30 Club, whose owners have loudly voiced their opinions and opposition about government aid for construction of such nearby competition. The 9:30 is nationally known and a favorite of touring bands, frequently rated Nightclub of the Year and the country’s largest ticket seller by concert site Pollstar. It remains to be seen how much the two clubs will have different styles and draws.
Of course, music venues, like rock shows, are very complex things and seldom start on time, but Lee described a “very aggressive” schedule. If Lee Development, Live Nation, architects Hickok Cole, and Montgomery County pull it off, they could break ground in October and hold the grand opening as soon as September 2011. In that happy event, a Live Nation rep proposes a month-long gala with a different type of music every night.
See more about the Fillmore project at www.livemusicss.com
