Fillmore Renovations

[Zads07]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article..._medium=social

The Fillmore Detroit will close from June to October for renovations and will lay off 180 employees.

It said they will be offered their jobs back based on eligibility.

I truly hope this is a renovation that keeps all the historic integrity of the theatre.

[Gistok]

OK.... let me be the first to say it...... YAY!!!!!! Finally!

Let me give you a bit of history of why this theatre is closing.... Chuck Forbes never quite had the funds to do a complete restoration of the former State Theatre.

He did a magnificent job of restoring the outer lobby... which used to have a drop ceiling because the right half of it was formerly a hat shop... and when that closed many decades ago, it was decided to double the size of the narrow outer lobby by taking over the hat shop space which was exactly the same size as the half of the space that was the original outer lobby. In the 1990s Forbes removed the drop ceiling and replicated the ornate plasterwork of the original space into the former hat store area, and also restored the original lobby, so that today it looks like the entire larger outer lobby looks original.

Next came the Rotunda Lobby [[with a double staircase up to the mezzanine level)... Mr. Forbes magnificently restore that space as well.

Then came the barrel vaulted Grand Foyer.... the Corinthian columns and side walls [[as well as all the stained glass doors to the outside and to the Rotunda Lobby) were beautifully restored to their 1925 original look... but for many years the barrel vaulted ceiling still had a peeling paint plastered ceiling. It wasn't until about circa 2010 that the barrel vaulted ceiling was restored.

Now for the auditorium. The only part of the auditorium that was ever restored was the procenium arch framing the stage [[along with the 2 plaster knights in armor on either side), and the first 2 columns to the right, higher up in the sidewalls. Besides removing [[and storing away) the main floor seats, and terracing the slope to multi levels for a dance floor and several higher levels of bistro style seating [[as well as reducing the seating on the main floor from 1500 down to 700)... no restoration work was ever done to the walls mezzanine and balcony levels, and the auditorium ceiling still had all the nicotine smoke discolorations going back to 1925. There were a lot of areas that had peeling paint on the walls and ceiling, and the areas between the columns on the sidewalls long ago had the painted canvas [[showing bucolic Tuscany scenes) panels removed and destroyed.

Since I am the onsite Fillmore guide for the annual Preservation Detroit tours every August, I talked with the Fillmore manager Ben [[can't remember his last name) last year, and talked about when restoration of the auditorium would ever happen. He said that the Fillmore folks have been bringing in cherry-pickers to do as much work as they could do. But that further work would require bringing in scaffolding... which would mean serious downtime for the Fillmore.

And now the time is here....

[Gistok]

From the main floor the Fillmore [[nee State) doesn't look too bad... partly because it has never really closed down in 93 years, and never been vandalized.

But when you look close at the auditorium side and upper reaches... all those areas should have a golden Italian Renaissance luster... not brown. All the plasterwork needs to be cleaned, and some of it needs to be repainted. And if we're lucky... the Fillmore folks will fill in the sidewalls [[between the double columns) with some kind of scenes.

Also... the Fillmore chain [[LiveNation) of theatres has a "signature" chandelier that is used in all their theatres nationwide. Nowhere do these chandeliers fit in better than the Detroit Fillmore, where they have 7 of them... 3 on either of the side walls of the auditorium, and one in the Rotunda Lobby.

Although Chuck [[and Jim) Forbes still own the theatre [[and office building).... this shows the commitment of the Fillmore folks for a long term dedication to leasing the building, by finishing the restoration.

No one should complain about that!

[Zads07]

That is some amazing details. Thank you Gistok!

[gnome]

Gary, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Especially for doing it repeatedly over the years.

oh, one thing, I still call it The Palms.

[Gistok]

Thanks Zads07... and back atcha Gnome....

FYI... the 12 story building housing the Fillmore is known as the Francis Palms Building. So when the theatre opened up in 1925, the C. Howard Crane designed 3,000 seat theatre was called the State, then changed in 1937 to be the Palms-State, then in 1949 it became the Palms, then in 1982 it became the State once again, and in 2007 it became the Fillmore!

This years Preservation Detroit Annual Downtown Theatre Tours [[the most attended and successful of all their tours) will take place on August 4, and even though the Fillmore will be closed for renovations.... the tour will go on. We may be supplying hard hats to visitors!

I hope attendees will get a chance to see "before and after" parts of the auditorium restoration!

[dtowncitylover]

...will take place on August 4...

Wow, that's early this year!

Not sure how involved you are elsewhere in the PD org, Gistok, but I'm sure we've met.

[Hypestyles]

so what's it going to look like when they're done?

how much will ticket prices go up? just curious.

[Gistok]

I was waiting for a nice "after" image before showing the before/after of the restored Fillmore auditorium. The Fillmore reopened [[with most of the employees) in early October.

They did a nice job in restoring the theatre. They did mention that they brightened it up somewhat color wise. Looks like they replaced some of the green accent colors with an ivory color. And the replaced long gone painted canvas side panels with more colorful ones with bucolic Tuscan scenes. Looks awesome!!

Another one of Detroit's "Crown Jewels" polished back to its' [[near) original brilliance!!

[Maof]

I was waiting for a nice "after" image before showing the before/after of the restored Fillmore auditorium. The Fillmore reopened [[with most of the employees) in early October.

They did a nice job in restoring the theatre. They did mention that they brightened it up somewhat color wise. Looks like they replaced some of the green accent colors with an ivory color. And the replaced long gone painted canvas side panels with more colorful ones with bucolic Tuscan scenes. Looks awesome!!

Another one of Detroit's "Crown Jewels" polished back to its' [[near) original brilliance!!

Lovely restoration on the inside but, the marquee is awful....

[Gistok]

Lovely restoration on the inside but, the marquee is awful....

Hadn't seen that yet... There will be digital boards added to either side of what is shown so far... but yes it is not a pretty sight.... jarringly so when you consider that the entire exterior and interior is classical Italian Renaissance in style.

[Maof]

Hadn't seen that yet... There will be digital boards added to either side of what is shown so far... but yes it is not a pretty sight.... jarringly so when you consider that the entire exterior and interior is classical Italian Renaissance in style.

Disappointing for sure. Almost looks "cartoonish".

[bust]

That marquee certainly isn't neo-renaissance, but it is reminiscent of a certain kind of Italian design...



‘Completely Obsessive’: Dennis Zanone on His Sprawling Collection of Memphis Design
http://www.artnews.com/2015/06/23/co...emphis-design/

Art deco designer: Ettore Sottsass
https://iloboyou.com/art-deco-designer-ettore-sottsass/

[JonWylie]

I don't get the fuss about the Marquee so far. First of all, it appears to be not even close to done. The part that is up not will not be the focus once it is done. Second, it looks incredibly similar to the F that was up there already, just a little more lit up and pronounced. Nobody is focusing on the fact that the inside was renovated and still looks incredible, and the fact that they are using individual bulbs which gives it that 50's feel.

Once it's done I feel like most people will warm up to it, or at least they can criticize the finished product instead of just a small aspect of it.

[bust]

Yeah, I kind of like it. It's better than what they had on the Palms, or the State, or Fillmore. And since there weren't indoor theatres during the renaissance... Even if neo-historic styles were a good idea in the first place. Why shouldn't it be contemporary?

[Maof]

I don't get the fuss about the Marquee so far. First of all, it appears to be not even close to done. The part that is up not will not be the focus once it is done. Second, it looks incredibly similar to the F that was up there already, just a little more lit up and pronounced. Nobody is focusing on the fact that the inside was renovated and still looks incredible, and the fact that they are using individual bulbs which gives it that 50's feel.

Once it's done I feel like most people will warm up to it, or at least they can criticize the finished product instead of just a small aspect of it.

Everyone here has focused on the renovations with good reviews. You may be right that some will eventually take to the marquee but, from what i'm seeing on social media platforms and reading in the paper, no one has anything good to say about it.

Personally, I don't like it but, as you stated, it's not complete and some may eventually take a liking to it.

[gnome]

Hideous marquee. I think we should bring back that thread about peeing on Woodward and collectively work up a massive stream just to short out the electrical feed to that sign.

[Maof]

We were down that way yesterday and took a drive by. Not pretty in person either.

[Maof]

Hideous marquee. I think we should bring back that thread about peeing on Woodward and collectively work up a massive stream just to short out the electrical feed to that sign.

........

[gnome]

........

Honored to be of service.

[CrashDummy]

This is what it looks like today

[p1acebo]

That "F" should stand for "Fucking ridiculous."