Fillmore Silver Spring breaks ground on Colesville Road

Fillmore Silver Spring breaks ground on Colesville Road
Musical venue slated to open in 2011; concert hall will accommodate up to 2,000 people
By Alison Bryant | Staff writer
The first shovels of dirt turned today to mark the beginning of construction for the Fillmore Silver Spring, a music venue slated to open in 2011.
Representatives from Maryland, Montgomery County, Lee Development Group, Live Nation and several hundred people gathered behind the JCPenney façade on Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring for the groundbreaking ceremony.
"This music, entertainment and community-use venue is the right project, in the right place, at the right time for the county and state in general and the Silver Spring community in particular," said County Executive Isiah Leggett. "The Fillmore is an investment well worth making. It activates a vacant storefront and makes money for the county and state from the start. This exciting venue will create jobs and stimulate more Silver Spring business activity, as well as deliver great music."
The Fillmore will have a capacity of up to 2,000 people and will feature crystal chandeliers, hardwood floors, dark painted red walls, historic rock art posters and the iconic barrel of complimentary apples at the door.
Leggett, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Anthony G. Brown, Lee Development Group President Bruce Lee and Live Nation's D.C. President Ted Mankin turned the first shovels.
Initially projected to cost $8 million, the music venue is now $3.2 million over budget. The county will transfer about $2.6 million in unused construction funds from other county projects toward the construction of the hall, said David Dise, director of the Department of General Services. The rest of the money will come from a construction contingency fund for the project or from Live Nation.
September 2, 2010 - 07:09 PM

People involved with bringing the Fillmore to Silver Spring, Md. break ground for the beginning of the construction on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010. (Samuel Corum for TBD)
Just hours after the Fillmore, a Live Nation venue, broke ground in downtown Silver Spring, the Bethesda-based concert promoter I.M.P., which owns the 9:30 Club, announced it's suing Montgomery County for the allegedly illegal use of taxpayer money. According to an I.M.P. press release, the company and its co-owner, Seth Hurwitz, added the charges against the county to their existing lawsuit against the state of Maryland.
The press release states that the county's chief administrative officer assured the county council of a $4 million public investment, no more, and that an agreement between the county and the building's developer, Lee Development Group, says the county must get the council's approval before spending more money. The project is already costing the county at least $7.4 million.