On Tuesday, September 25^th, the ULI Philadelphia NEXT Council organized a tour of The Fillmore Philadelphia. As the newest Fillmore location, the site is housed in an old metal foundry and consists of two music venues: a 2,500-capacity live music club and a more intimate 450-capacity concert hall known as The Foundry. Tour guides included Shannon Noon and Craig Schmitt from the EwingCole design team assigned to the project, Janice Woodcock, the Architect of the complex, and Matt Riccotti, the Assistant General Manager of Live Nation.

Shannon and Craig discussed the various design challenges they faced as they worked to showcase the unique and historical aspects of Philadelphia within the warehouse, while accommodating all the peculiarities of a concert venue. As the architect for the complex, Janice spoke to the various planning issues that occurred while trying to get the venue approved as well as the thought process behind the site selection and their decision to adaptively reuse the warehouse. Matt explained how the back of house operations worked and provided fun anecdotes about the various musical guests that have come through the space including Meek Mills, Rihanna, and Tom Petty.

Attendees got an exclusive back stage look at the dressing rooms and behind the scenes action and even got to go on stage to stand where hundreds of musical stars have stood before. It was a great way to explore a unique space and learn more about how the Fillmore has created an entertainment hotbed in the Fishtown neighborhood.