  Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 4388 Registered: 02-2007 |
http://www.suntimes.com/busine ss/roeder/731680,CST-FIN-roede r09.article | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 3270 Registered: 06-2004 |
Live Nation is who took over the State (now Fillmore) | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 974 Registered: 03-2006 |
I am a little confused about the connection to Live Nation and the Fillmore. I get weekly email's from Live Nation promoting or selling tickets to many different venues in the area including the Fox, Palace, Fillmore and others. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4483 Registered: 10-2003 |
Live Nation is a spinoff of Clear Channel. Clear Channel owned the State. I'm not sure exactly how "seperate" the two companies are, but for regulatory reasons, they are different companies. Live Nation took over Clear Channel's concert business late 2005, early 2006. That's my understanding. | ||
Yeti Member Username: Yeti Post Number: 28 Registered: 09-2007 |
Still Extreamly Pissed they renamed the State to the Filmore. Thats so retarded I don't even know where to start. | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 448 Registered: 11-2003 |
When did Clear Channel buy the State Theatre? | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 3523 Registered: 10-2003 |
Doesn't Charles Forbes still own the building, and Clear Channel manages the entertainment? | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4489 Registered: 10-2003 |
Could be, references usually say "Operated by Live Nation" | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 233 Registered: 05-2007 |
Live Nation is a concert promoter and producer. They have agreements to book tours\events at their own venues as well as a host of others. Apparently they also own MonsterJam (monster trucks)and produce the Super Bowl halftime show as well as Ozzfest. The corporate website doens't have much info, but Wikipedia (for better or worse) does have some quality content. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L ive_Nation | ||
Leob Member Username: Leob Post Number: 107 Registered: 10-2005 |
Live nation holds the operating agreement only for the "Fillmore" and owns the Fillmore brand. They do not own all the venues they operate. Chuck Forbes still owns the property. Live Nation does fully own the House of Blues chain however. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4491 Registered: 10-2003 |
Thanks Leob and Raptor. It was Forbes who sold the Fox to Ilitch too, correct? And he owned or does own the Gem? | ||
Downtown_dave Member Username: Downtown_dave Post Number: 231 Registered: 07-2005 |
Yes - Chuck Forbes sold the Fox to Ilitch. He owns the Gem Theatre/Century Grill, the Women's City Club building behind the State/Fillmore, and other properties between the Women's City Club and the State. On Park Ave., he owns an apartment building (I think the name is the Varney) next to the Ilitch-owned Detroit Life Building and the Colony Club building across from the Town Pump. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1984 Registered: 12-2005 |
Correct, Johnlodge--Chuck used to own the State, the Fox and the two blocks across from those venues. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4500 Registered: 10-2003 |
Thanks guys. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6092 Registered: 08-2004 |
Yes Chuck Forbes still owns the State (Filmore). And he still has his offices in the attached office tower (Francis Palms Building). Now I wish that someone (Forbes or Filmore) would complete the restoration of the State/Filmore. The storm lobby and rotunda lobby have been completely restored. The 3 story grand foyer has only had the Corinthian columns restored. The barrel vaulted ceiling over that space still has peeling paint. And the auditorium only has the Procenium arch restored. The rest of the auditorium still has its' 83 years of soot and smoke on all the surfaces. The outer spaces were restored about a decade ago. Nothing further has been done in the last 4 or 5 years. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 1985 Registered: 12-2005 |
Not to mention the stench of stale, spilled beer | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4515 Registered: 10-2003 |
Oh, did you write that review I read 56pack? That was a direct quote.  | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6093 Registered: 08-2004 |
The 4,381 seat Chicago Uptown Theatre, located in a neighborhood on Chicago's north side, is Chicago's largest theatre. It is rather surprising that it is larger than any downtown theatres (the Auditorium Theatre has 4,237 seats, and the Chicago Theatre has 3,880 seats). The Spanish Renaissance style Uptown Theatre is an enormous theatre. Because it has a relatively small shelf balcony, most of the seating is on the main floor. The 47,000 sq.ft. main floor is slightly larger than that of the Detroit Fox (5,174 seats). The Uptown Theatre was Rapp & Rapp's largest theatre design. The theatre developers (Balaban & Katz), the Chicago equivalent of Detroit's John Kunsky, told Rapp & Rapp to leave patrons awestruck. Rapp & Rapp was famous for their French Renaissance designs of most of their theatres, and uncharacteristically this theatre is decorated in a Spanish Renaissance style. It was their only theatre in that style. Theatre historian David Naylor, said that the lobby spaces of the Uptown have an unfortunate resemblance to "overdecorated railroad concourses of the 19th century". It had been rumored (unsubstantiated) that Mike Ilitch was interested (about 5 years ago) in reopening the Uptown as a concert venue, but that Mayor Daly was against that idea. | ||
Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn Post Number: 374 Registered: 04-2005 |
I saw the Kings of Leon at the Uptown in Chicago last summer. It needs a lot of work, that's for sure. | ||
Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn Post Number: 375 Registered: 04-2005 |
The Uptown, not the Kings of Leon. Those guys are phenomenal. | ||
Dnvn522 Member Username: Dnvn522 Post Number: 311 Registered: 11-2004 |
So why has the Uptown been so neglected then...when so many of Chicago's other theaters are in beautiful shape? | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6096 Registered: 08-2004 |
The reason is that the Uptown is quite a distance from the downtown area. It is a lucky survivor. Other absolutely palatial Chicago neighborhood theatres are long gone... such as the south side 3,414 seat Tivoli Theatre and 3,300 seat Southtown Theatre, and the west side 3,600 seat Chicago Paradise Theatre and 3,984 seat Marbro Theatre. Chicago, like Detroit, has seen a lot of its' grand neighborhood theatres pounded to rubble, while the downtown theatres have experienced a revival. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4524 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: When I was in the State last month, I was trying to imagine how somebody would get up into some parts of that place to restore it. Any ideas? It is REALLY high up in some places. Maybe some kind of scissor lift? Seems too high up for that even. | ||
Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 4420 Registered: 02-2007 |
fairy dust! | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6099 Registered: 08-2004 |
The State/Filmore is an extremely tall theatre (about 9 stories). It was built on a narrow site, so the auditorium had to be very tall to maximize seating. It is a rare instance of a theatre where 1/2 of all the seats are NOT on the main floor. How to get that high to do work? Scaffolding! Unfortunately that would mean downtime for the theatre. Summer time is the best time to do this kind of work, when many downtown theatres are less busy than during other times of the year. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 2203 Registered: 10-2006 |
THREAD JACK: Quote from the article: "Also, the city [of Chicago] has a lien of at least $1 million on the property because of emergency repairs it had to order on the building." Anyone know if anything has ever been done like this in Detroit to any property? | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6104 Registered: 08-2004 |
Charlottepaul... the only instance that comes to mind is the National Theatre, where the city put a new roof on the building. I assume that was after they got it thru tax foreclosure, and after much of the damage to the plaster interior had already been done. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6121 Registered: 08-2004 |
I was downtown at the Michigan Building today, and the building secretary told me that there was lots of activity going on at the United Artists Building next door today. She said that there were a lots of trucks parked outside, and inside the lights were on with a lot of workers about. Hmmmmm.... She also told me that from a vantage point high up in the Michigan Building, one can see the extensive roof repair done to the theatre portion of the building. That's another good sign! (Message edited by Gistok on January 11, 2008) |
