Historic JC Penney facade and New Music Venue Look
LIVE NATION Coming to Silver Spring!
Montgomery County, Live Nation to Partner on Downtown Silver Spring Live Music, Entertainment & Community Use Venue
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett announced today a major step towards creating a dynamic new music, entertainment, and community use venue in downtown Silver Spring, a move that will dramatically enhance the community’s fast-growing entertainment district.
Leggett joined with officials of Live Nation, the world’s largest live music company to announce that they have signed a Letter of Intent with the company to locate a Fillmore music hall on Colesville Road. The new music hall will preserve the historic façade of the old J.C. Penney store, and build a modern, new music and community use venue behind it.
“The County’s vision is to bring a dynamic, first-class music, entertainment, and community use venue to Silver Spring in the former J.C. Penney building,” said Leggett. “We want to bring Silver Spring revitalization across Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue. Today, we take a huge step on delivering that vision.
“This location will create a dynamic center of music and entertainment with the American Film Institute and the restored Silver Theater directly across the street. We are joining forces with Live Nation to create an exciting new forum to bring live music to Silver Spring and to all our County residents.”
“The name Fillmore resonates with music fans and world class artists alike as one of the most distinctive brands in live music,” said Live Nation’s Ted Mankin. “And now, as we work with the County to build a state-of-the-art live music venue in one of the country’s top ten markets, we expect that a diverse group of artists from all over the world will come to Silver Spring to play the Fillmore.”
Live Nation is the unparalleled global leader in live music entertainment, and the second-largest entertainment venue management company in the world. Live Nation and its predecessors have been bringing top quality talent to the DC area since 1971 through The Cellar Door and The Bayou. The company also programs the Ram’s Head and Warner Theatre. In addition, the company promotes shows in a variety of other venues in the area, including The Kennedy Center, Verizon Center, Constitution Hall, and RFK Stadium, to name a few.
Live Nation also frequently puts its expertise to work in social causes, just this year producing the “Live Earth” concerts in New York, London, Washington, DC, Shanghai and Hamburg, the “Concert for Diana,” in London, the Paul Simon Library of Congress concert here in Washington and the recent Virginia Tech benefit concert. The company is also producing the upcoming “Pray for Peace” date at Washington Cathedral in October.
Mr. Mankin said Live Nation will create a Fillmore-style music hall in Silver Spring with a variable capacity of 500 to 2,000, inspired by the original Fillmore in San Francisco, which launched the careers of such rock, soul and jazz legends as Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Miles Davis, and Otis Redding. It will feature crystal chandeliers, hardwood floors, dark painted red walls, historic rock art posters – and the iconic barrel of complimentary apples at the door.
It is expected that the nearby American Film Institute and Discovery Communications headquarters will utilize the new facility, which will be adaptable for a number of uses.
Leggett emphasized the multifaceted advantages of the project.
“Community use is very important,” said Leggett. “I want a venue that the community can use when it is not otherwise programmed by Live Nation. It could be used to help accommodate our growing need for spaces in the County for graduations, concerts, public meetings, corporate functions, and much more.
“Live Nation is an excellent partner who can provide an array of musical choices that can appeal to the diversity that is Silver Spring – rock, jazz, country & western, folk, rhythm and blues, comedy, pop, children’s programming, salsa, and more.
“And the Fillmore in Silver Spring would have the flexibility to host stand-up, theatre seating, and events with tables and chairs.
“I appreciate the feedback and comments I’ve received from the community in support of our common goal to bring a new live music, entertainment, and community use venue to downtown Silver Spring. Your input has been important to the process – and will remain so as we address legitimate community issues regarding the nature of the entertainment, size, traffic, parking, community use, and other concerns.”
The music hall is the central piece of a redevelopment on Colesville Road in Silver Spring on land long-owned by Lee Development Group. LDG is contributing the property for the new music hall and will develop the hall itself, along with surface parking lots to the rear of the hall as offices, and hotel and new shops lining Georgia Avenue. Company officials say that they will preserve and enhance the Art Deco façade of the former department store.
“We are excited about the prospect of Live Nation opening The Fillmore in the heart of the entertainment district,” said Bruce Lee, president of Lee Development Group.
Lee said LDG is contributing $3.5 million in land for the music hall and for public improvements, and has already spent more than $350,000 on architects and related expenses. Under the terms of a new agreement, LDG would build the music hall as a major public amenity, delivering it first, rather than after, it builds out the balance of its proposed development. LDG will seek a zoning change in order to have the music and community use venue qualify as a public amenity under the optional method of development.
The State of Maryland and Montgomery County will contribute $4 million each – for a total $8 million in public investment -- toward the project.
Further contract details will be worked out over the next few months. Reviews, approvals, and construction is expected to take at least two years, and The Fillmore could open its doors to its first audience in early 2010.
For more details on the project and development click here.