The Fillmore Detroit Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
The Fillmore Detroit
Construction
Exterior view of the venue (c.2007)
Former names	State Theatre (1925-37; 1982-89; 1991-2007) Palms Theatre (1937-82) Clubland (1989-91)
Address	2115 Woodward Ave Detroit, MI 48201-3469
Owner	Jim Forbes
Operator	Live Nation
Capacity	2,900
Opened	October 29, 1925
Renovated	2007, 2018
Reopened	June 13, 2007
Website


Francis Palms Building & State Theater
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Architect	C. Howard Crane
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No.	82000551
Added to NRHP	November 24, 1982

The Fillmore Detroit is a fun place in Detroit, Michigan. It hosts many different kinds of shows and events. This building opened in 1925. For most of its history, it was known as the State Theatre.

The Fillmore Detroit is located near the Fox Theatre. It is on Woodward Avenue, across from Comerica Park and Grand Circus Park. The Fillmore Detroit has a large lobby and three levels of seats. It also has a restaurant called the State Bar & Grill. The Detroit Music Awards are held here every April. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it is a special historic place.

History of the Fillmore Detroit
- Building Design and Original Use
- Name Changes Over Time
What the Fillmore Detroit is Used For Now
- Becoming the Fillmore Brand
- Restoring the Historic Building
American Idol at The Fillmore
Gallery
See also

History of the Fillmore Detroit

Before the Fillmore was built, another theater stood on this spot. It was called the Central, and later the Grand Circus Theatre. This older theater was taken down to make way for the new building in 1925. The new building was named the Francis Palms Building.

It was named after Francis Palms, who came to Detroit in 1832. He became very rich by buying and selling land. His family continued his business. They built this theater when Detroit was growing fast and movies were becoming very popular.

Building Design and Original Use

The theater was built in 1925 to show movies. It was designed in the Renaissance Revival style. This style brings back ideas from old European buildings. C. Howard Crane was the first architect who designed it. The building is still called the Francis Palms Building today.

The building is twelve stories tall. It is covered with a special kind of clay called terra cotta. The main theater part is eight stories high and goes to the back of the building. The office part of the building has fancy Beaux-Arts decorations. These decorations are like those found in old Italian buildings. The ground floor was updated around 1960.

Name Changes Over Time

When it first opened in 1925, the theater was called the State Theatre. In 1937, its name changed to the Palms-State Theatre. Then, in 1946, it became the Palms Theatre. In 1982, it went back to being called the State Theatre. Finally, in 2007, it was renamed the Fillmore Theatre. This change was part of a plan to give the "Fillmore" name to venues in different cities.

What the Fillmore Detroit is Used For Now

The Fillmore Detroit is a popular place for live music concerts. It also hosts many other special events. About 2,900 people can fit inside for a show. If people have reserved seats, there are 2,084 spots. The seats on the mezzanine and balcony levels are still the original ones from when the theater first opened.

Becoming the Fillmore Brand

In March 2007, a company called Live Nation announced a big change. The State Theatre would become the Fillmore Detroit. This was part of a plan to create more "Fillmore" venues across the country. It was similar to how the House of Blues music venues were created.

Many changes were made to make the Detroit theater feel like the famous Fillmore venue in San Francisco, California. The first show under the new Fillmore Detroit name was by the singer Fergie. She performed there on June 13, 2007.

Restoring the Historic Building

Live Nation has been slowly restoring the theater. They want to bring back its original Italian Renaissance beauty. The outer lobby and the round rotunda lobby were fixed up in the 1990s. More recently, the large columns in the main foyer and the arch around the stage were restored.

Live Nation has also fixed the curved ceiling in the grand foyer. They plan to continue working on the higher parts of the main auditorium over time.

American Idol at The Fillmore

In 2015, the TV show American Idol held some of its semi-final rounds at The Fillmore Detroit. These episodes were part of the show's fourteenth season. Some parts were filmed ahead of time and shown on TV starting February 25. Then, two live shows were broadcast from the Fillmore on March 3 and 4. These were the first live American Idol shows ever broadcast from outside Los Angeles.