DETROIT – For 93 years, the Fillmore Detroit has played host to some of the greatest entertainers in the world.
The venue, which shut down in the spring for renovations, finally is ready to reopen. On Friday night, insiders got a close-up look at Detroit's latest gem.
ORIGINAL STORY: Fillmore Detroit closing for several months to undergo renovations
The renovations seemed to restore everything to its full splendor. Walking into the Fillmore now is almost like walking into another era.
"It took us three years to get to where we are tonight," said general manager Ben Doughty. "We will have the new marquis done by November."
The Fillmore Detroit was built in 1925 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
All you have to do is look at the domed ceiling to be starstruck. As your eye travels down, you'll see murals on the walls that look like a view from a villa overlooking Italy's Lake Como -- all culled from photo archives of what the Fillmore looked like 93 years ago.
"There was enough there that they could make out what the images were, based on those photographs," Doughty said.
The Fillmore is owned by Forbes Management, which has a long term-lease wth Live Nation. Both companies financed the restoration, which removed the gray veil that dimmed the theater's splendor.
"They didn't realize what it was like before," Doughty said. "They thought it was beautiful. It's pretty magnificent."