The Fillmore Detroit
Encyclopedia
The Fillmore Detroit is a mixed-use entertainment venue operated by Live Nation
. The Detroit Music Awards
are held annually at The Fillmore Detroit in April. Built in 1925, the Fillmore Detroit was known for most of its history as the State Theatre, and prior to that as the Palms Theatre. It is located near the larger Fox Theatre
in the Detroit Theatre District along Woodward Avenue across from Comerica Park
and Grand Circus Park
. It contains a theatre with a Grand Lobby and two levels of seating, as well as the State Bar & Grill which has a separate entrance and is open when the theatre is not hosting events. During many concerts the lower seating is removed for dancing. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
The Fillmore Detroit was constructed in 1925 as a movie house in the Renaissance Revival style of architecture. C. Howard Crane
was the original architect, and the building is still called the Francis Palms Building.
The theatre was originally called the State Theatre when it opened in 1925. It was renamed the Palms-State Theatre in 1937. In 1949 it was renamed the Palms Theatre. In 1982 it was renamed back to the State Theatre. And in 2007 it was renamed once again, this time the Fillmore Theatre.
The building is twelve stories high and covered with terra cotta
, with an eight-story auditorium extending to the rear of the building. The office tower has elaborate Beaux-Arts Italian Renaissance decorations on all but the ground floor, which was modernized in about 1960.
(with cabaret style terraced seating and a dance floor) is 2,200. If the original seats (in storage) were reinstalled and the original grade brought back to the theatre orchestra level, its seating would be 3,000. The mezzanine and balcony levels still contain their original theatre seating. Currently the main floor has seating for 700, and the mezzanine and balcony have a combined seating for 1,500.
All-age shows as well as adult-only concerts are held; during 21 years plus events, alcohol sales are offered at several theatre concessions including access to the State Bar & Grill.
In March 2007, Live Nation announced that the State Theatre would become the Fillmore Detroit as part of a multi-city extension of the Fillmore
brand, similar to what has been done previously with their House of Blues
franchise. Various changes were implemented to evoke the Fillmore's iconic venue in San Francisco
, California
. The official inaugural show under the Fillmore Detroit re-branding was Fergie's June 13, 2007 performance.
Live Nation has continued the gradual restoration of the magnificent Italian Renaissance theatre. The outer lobby and rotunda lobby were restored in the 1990s. The grand foyer columns and auditorium proscenium arch were more recent restorations. Live Nation has restored the barrel vaulted ceiling of the three story grand foyer, and has plans to work on the upper reaches of the auditorium in increments.
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
. The Detroit Music Awards
Detroit Music Awards
The Detroit Music Awards was initially proposed in 1988. Presented by the Motor City Music Foundation, the multi-genre awards ceremony was established to bring recognition to Detroit area musicians. The first award show was held in 1992 at Detroit's Music Hall, and moved to the State Theatre in...
are held annually at The Fillmore Detroit in April. Built in 1925, the Fillmore Detroit was known for most of its history as the State Theatre, and prior to that as the Palms Theatre. It is located near the larger Fox Theatre
Fox Theatre (Detroit)
The Fox Theatre is an ornate performing arts center located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, Michigan, near Grand Circus Park. It was originally completed in 1928 as the first movie palace in the world to have sound systems for films. It was listed on the National Register of Historic...
in the Detroit Theatre District along Woodward Avenue across from Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
and Grand Circus Park
Grand Circus Park (Detroit)
Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial center. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, and is roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams...
. It contains a theatre with a Grand Lobby and two levels of seating, as well as the State Bar & Grill which has a separate entrance and is open when the theatre is not hosting events. During many concerts the lower seating is removed for dancing. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982.
History
The site of the Fillmore was previously home to an earlier theatre known as the Central and then, from 1913-1923, as the Grand Circus Theatre. This theatre was demolished to make way for the 1925 construction of what was then called the Francis Palms Building. The building was named for Francis Palms, a Belgian native who moved to Detroit in 1832 and made his fortune in real estate development. Palms's descendants continued in real estate as the Palms Realty Company, and constructed this building at a time when Detroit's population and the popularity of movies was booming.The Fillmore Detroit was constructed in 1925 as a movie house in the Renaissance Revival style of architecture. C. Howard Crane
C. Howard Crane
Charles Howard Crane was an American architect.Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Crane established a practice in Detroit, Michigan early in the 20th Century. Like Thomas W. Lamb and John Eberson, Crane specialized in the design of movie palaces in North American...
was the original architect, and the building is still called the Francis Palms Building.
The theatre was originally called the State Theatre when it opened in 1925. It was renamed the Palms-State Theatre in 1937. In 1949 it was renamed the Palms Theatre. In 1982 it was renamed back to the State Theatre. And in 2007 it was renamed once again, this time the Fillmore Theatre.
The building is twelve stories high and covered with terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
, with an eight-story auditorium extending to the rear of the building. The office tower has elaborate Beaux-Arts Italian Renaissance decorations on all but the ground floor, which was modernized in about 1960.
Current use
The Fillmore Detroit is a busy concert venue for popular music acts, and rarely hosts larger, multiple-night, Broadway-style theatre shows like the Fox Theatre does. Its current seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
(with cabaret style terraced seating and a dance floor) is 2,200. If the original seats (in storage) were reinstalled and the original grade brought back to the theatre orchestra level, its seating would be 3,000. The mezzanine and balcony levels still contain their original theatre seating. Currently the main floor has seating for 700, and the mezzanine and balcony have a combined seating for 1,500.
All-age shows as well as adult-only concerts are held; during 21 years plus events, alcohol sales are offered at several theatre concessions including access to the State Bar & Grill.
In March 2007, Live Nation announced that the State Theatre would become the Fillmore Detroit as part of a multi-city extension of the Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
brand, similar to what has been done previously with their House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
franchise. Various changes were implemented to evoke the Fillmore's iconic venue in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The official inaugural show under the Fillmore Detroit re-branding was Fergie's June 13, 2007 performance.
Live Nation has continued the gradual restoration of the magnificent Italian Renaissance theatre. The outer lobby and rotunda lobby were restored in the 1990s. The grand foyer columns and auditorium proscenium arch were more recent restorations. Live Nation has restored the barrel vaulted ceiling of the three story grand foyer, and has plans to work on the upper reaches of the auditorium in increments.
External links
- The Fillmore Detroit
- Cinema Treasures website of old movie houses profiles The State Theatre.
- Fillmore Detroit Myspace Page