TheFort
FortitudeValley,QLD
82
Weeks to build
2
Live music venues
The Fort is a philanthropic development that is ultimately a gift to Brisbane, both economically and as a place for the community to enjoy. The dream is that the precinct and the new music venues within it, will bring live music to life in Brisbane, being a place that creates memories for future generations and hopefully inspires local musicians to start a band.
Hutchies constructed The Fort at 312 Brunswick Street, in the heart of the Fortitude Valley's bustling Brunswick Street Mall. The refurbished building has brought new venues to the Valley including the Fortitude Music Hall, The Outpost, a Cornerstone public car park and Soundgarden – a restaurant and bar opening late 2019 overlooking the Mall. The location of the building falls in the midst of various businesses which will become part of The Fort precinct including Little Valley, Black Bear Lodge, Nomnom Bao, Finney Isles, Lucky Egg, Blute’s and more.
Within The Fort is the Fortitude Music Hall (FMH), a passion project of Scott Hutchinson, the chairman of Hutchies who purchased the large site with the vision of doing something special. Teaming up with Paul Piticco and John Collins, to create the FMH to preserve the local live music scene in Brisbane and help support the existing Fortitude Valley entertainment precinct.
The team has been dreaming of creating the FMH since the iconic Festival Hall was demolished in 2003, causing Brisbane to drop off the live music map for many large artists. The new venue is the much needed middle ground between the smaller venues that litter the Fortitude Valley and bigger venues like the 9,500 capacity Riverstage and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre 14km away from the city. FMH compliments Fortitude Valley’s existing music scene, supporting the other local live venues rather than competing against them.
The Fort has already gained a large amount of traction from media and interest, as acts from across the globe sign up to play. As the hype continues and shows at FMH continue to sell out, people will flock to the Fortitude Valley and tourism will increase throughout the Brisbane area. The increased foot traffic surrounding the precinct will bring large amounts of economic activity to the area, reactivating the diminishing Brisbane nightlife and entertainment scene.
Construction / April 19
To pay tribute to the demise of Festival Hall and other great old Brisbane buildings, FMH's architectural style has been thoughtfully designed to breathe a beautiful and timeless art deco feel. The façade reflects a modernised 50’s exterior and the interior has been constructed to honour the historic traditions of music halls, boasting a grand box-office area that flows into a large foyer which features a long illuminated bar by white crystal lighting and decadent overhead chandeliers throughout.
The design of the Fortitude Music Hall has come from inspiration from the Fillmore theatre in Philadelphia, a spectacular multi-faceted music hall which is essentially four venues in one. Similarly, the Fortitude Music hall has the ability to accommodate for shows that hold anywhere from 300 to 3,300 people. Running at full steam, the music hall can fit a capacity of 3,300 in what is being coined as Australia’s largest ballroom styled theatre. For a more unique and closer show or event, the curtains along the mezzanine level can be drawn, secluding it from the venue and creating a stylish more and intimate setting.
On evenings when the Fortitude Music Hall is having the night off, a smaller bar which sits at the back of the mezzanine level comes alive, operating as a club within a club. The smaller-bar style venue holds 300 people and it’s own music systems, giving local bands an amazing place to play a gig. The Outpost has been designed to pay tribute the Ann Street venue where John Collins played his first show, his dream is for this venue to inspire people to start more bands within Brisbane.
PaulPitticoFor a lot of young musicians and bands in the city, this may be the first place they play, it gives them something to aspire to. They become part of the culture of the venue and hopefully years later fill the main room.
