Live. Love. Fillmore.
In the expansion of Live Nation’s Fillmore brand, the entertainment company chose a location in the heart of Philadelphia’s thriving Fishtown neighborhood, a 19th-century former Ajax Metal Company building.
The Fillmore – Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Live Nation, one of the world’s leading entertainment companies, is renowned for producing unforgettable concert experiences worldwide. As part of its effort to expand the Fillmore brand, Live Nation selected Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood for its next venue, choosing the historic 1893 Ajax Metal Company building as the site.
The original facility, while rich in industrial character, lacked the infrastructure to support a modern, high-capacity venue. Live Nation needed a solution that could preserve the building’s authenticity while delivering a fully immersive entertainment experience.
EwingCole transformed the shuttered building into a state-of-the-art concert venue that celebrates the features of Philadelphia, the raw intensity of the existing factory, and the Fillmore’s legacy, resulting in a contemporary entertainment destination.
Step Right Up
Concertgoers arrive at the box office via a street that’s closed to automobiles during shows. They enter through a two-story, unconditioned brick and concrete area where a giant electric sculpture, a take on Robert Indiana’s “LOVE” which reads “LIVE” (as in live music), provides a warm welcome and a selfie station.
Uniquely “Fillmore-a-delphia”
This transitions into Ajax Hall, the venue’s central meeting place named for the old metal company. The Ajax Bar includes salvaged fire doors from the factory on the die wall, an array of overhead lights on “Fillmore Red” cords with Edison bulbs, and a liquor display made of antique mirrors and reclaimed wood shelving with mill finished steel pipe fittings. Serving as the room’s backdrop, its pièce de résistance: the “Fillmore Flag.” The 22-foot creation merges 450 of the Fillmore’s classic concert posters, colored and wheat pasted in an arrangement to form the 13-star, Betsy Ross flag from colonial Philadelphia.
The Main Stage Takes Top Billing
With a capacity of 2,500, it’s in the main auditorium that “The Fillmore” is most pronounced. The signature red floor-to-ceiling curtains reveal the remnants of graffiti on the walls. Open sightlines and added viewing platforms ensure that no attendee will suffer from obstructions. Likewise, guests won’t miss the four crystal chandeliers overhead, especially with the reflection and refraction of stage lights. The stage lights also highlight the DayGlo murals that accent the bars on either side of the room.
At the rear of the room, a 55-foot bar provides ample room for a breather from the main room, with a back wall constructed of wood slats reading “THE FILLMORE” that provide views to the stage and a bar front of riveted metal that recalls the nearby Ben Franklin Bridge.
The Venue Within
A steel staircase, accented by rotating LED lights, leads guests up to the mezzanine level with VIP seating for the main concert hall, and a large, separate bar. The Circle Bar, named for the room’s enormous chandelier of concentric circles—and a subtle reference to the portholes of the smokestack, most visible in this room—doubles as its own standalone performance space. Called the Foundry, another nod to the location’s industrial past, the room comfortably fits 400 when separated.
“The design showcases the successful repurposing of a building into an entertainment destination that is well done, well-branded, and sustainable. The project features a unique space created with everyday materials where the grit factor is authentic and not forced.”
Jury, IIDA PA/NJ/DE
On the outside of the building, the sign reading “The Ajax Metal Co.” has been restored in its original terra cotta pediment. With a perch prominently facing adjacent I-95, it’s complemented by a new sign reading “The Fillmore” and a marquee announcing upcoming shows.
