Seth Hurwitz, who owns the District’s 9:30 Club, says he wants in on the music-venue action on Colesville Road. Meanwhile, the Birchmere has found a new place to roost.
According to the Washington City Paper, Hurwitz dropped MoCo exec Ike Leggett a letter Monday “to officially express my interest in working with Montgomery County to bring a music venue” to the former JC Penney site.
“I have always been looking for a venue that would be bigger than the 9:30 Club,” Hurwitz wrote. “I’m not interested in doing another 9:30 Club, but I would look at a mid-size venue.”
Hurwitz’s concert-production company, I.M.P., has been shacking up in the county since 1980. The company has been credited with salvaging Columbia’s Merriweather Post Pavillion, the City Paper wrote.
A day after Hurwitz’s love letter to the county, the University of Maryland announced that the Birchmere would be opening a 500-seat venue in College Park. The Alexandria, Va.-based venue would also partner with the university’s school of music to “nurture the stars of tomorrow,” a press statement said.
“We’re very excited about opening a venue in suburban Maryland, and couldn’t ask for better partners and a more ideal location,” Gary Oelze, the Birchmere’s founder, said.
Montgomery County began courting the Birchmere five years ago, under former exec Doug Duncan’s administration. Duncan now serves as the University of Maryland’s vice president for administrative affairs. Talks between the county and the Birchmere bit the dust in July.
Back in Silver Spring, MoCo exec Ike Leggett will announce Wednesday a nonbinding agreement with one venue operator. Legget said Monday that several parties were flirting with the county to occupy the proposed $8 million, county-owned venue, including Live Nation.
Updated Sep 25, 2007, at 11:23 p.m.
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Another 9:30 type club would be cool or another Nation that closed down in SE to make way for the Nationals Statium.
[...] would seat 500, Montgomery is looking for a larger venue with around 1,200 seats. LiveNation and 9:30 club managers are interested in Silver Spring. On Monday, the Silver Spring Scene and two other news [...]
Seth Hurwitz is a day late and a dollar short. LiveNation already inked a deal with MontCo.
[...] the Birchmere opting for new digs in Prince George’s County, and Live Nation’s Fillmore setting up shop in downtown Silver Spring, no one can access the [...]
Where in College Park is Birchmere opening?
Thanks for your question, Lilkunta.
According to the press statement cited in the article above:
“The Birchmere will be part of a major mixed-use development of 2.6 million square feet on the East Campus of the University of Maryland, which will include retail, residential, hotel, and office space.”
I don’t have anything more specific than that. I do believe UMd is developing some of its property just east of the College Park Metro station. Not sure if that’s where the Birchmere will be.