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The Masquerade

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The Masquerade
The Masquerade
Background information
Founded 1988 (DuPree Mill)
2016 (Underground Atlanta)
Capacity 1000 (Heaven)
550 (Hell)
300 (Purgatory)
Location Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Website Masquerade Official

The Masquerade is a mid-sized concert venue located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is located in Kenny's Alley, the lowest level of Underground Atlanta. The address for the parking deck and entrance is 75 Martin Luther King Jr DR SW. Notable for hosting three named stages along with an occasional outdoor stage, The Masquerade would establish itself as a definitive mid-level venue in Atlanta. Initially founded in 1988 at the DuPree Mill, it is currently located in Underground Atlanta as of 2016, a shopping and entertainment district in the Five Points neighborhood.

Its live music mostly consists of alternative music styles, such as indie rock, metal, punk rock, rockabilly, and electronic, ranging from local acts to ones internationally known. The Masquerade's three principal interior stages are named after the destinations of the afterlife: Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell — though they are now all on the same level with separate entrances. At the mill, Heaven was upstairs above Hell at the right (west) side of the building, with Purgatory as the bar area downstairs to the left, all accessed from a central entryway behind the box office with a stairway to Heaven. The "destinations of the afterlife" theme would maintain with the new space.

Between it's three stages The Masquerade would host an average of over 500 concerts every year.[1]

History[]

The DuPree Mill[]

Located at 695 North Avenue in Atlanta, the Dupre Excelsior Mill (the actual name as of 1911 was "Du Pree Manufacturing Company Excelsior Factory"), may have been built as early as 1890 by DuPre (also spelled Du Pree) Manufacturing Company. However, the mill fails to appear on Atlanta city maps in 1892 and 1899, which both show the property as vacant. The first possible reference to the mill exist in the report of the death of Hubert Neal on July 17, 1899. According to the report, his accident occurred at the Atlanta Excelsior Works (which may or may not be the same facility since at the time there were three excelsior factories in Atlanta). The earliest concrete confirmation of the mill seems to be three lawsuits filed against Dupre in 1907 for accidents that occurred at the facility. The mill does appear on the Sanborn-Perris Fire Insurance map of 1911 (section 250). At that time, the only road connecting it was Angier Street. It was noted to have been heated by steam power, no lighting, and a private water supply from a well 10 feet in diameter and 40 feet deep. A watchman made hourly rounds to seven stations.

The Post-depression era saw an expansion of the mill in the late 1930s and early 1940s. After World War II the demand for excelsior was radically reduced. The introduction of foam rubber virtually eliminated the use of excelsior as stuffing material. Even so, the secondary packing material market continued for a short time. By the 1960s, the demand for excelsior was non-existent and the mill operated more as a storage facility than active production facility. By 1977, all the major mills in the Atlanta area had shut their doors.

In 1977–1978, the mill was converted over to a pizzeria and barrio. With a Wurlitzer Organ as part of the setting, the Excelsior Mill featured everything from movies to bands to Shakespearian plays over its decade-long run; the pizza and barrio house survived until 1989. The Excelsior Mill is fondly remembered by blues fans as the residence in later years of blues legend Willie "Piano Red" Perryman and an in-house pipe organ. In September 1989, It closed for a time and subsequently re-opened as The Masquerade, becoming a well-known nightclub and concert venue.

On 27 December 2019 it was reported by Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) / National Public Radio that the building had partially collapsed during construction.[2]

The Venue's Beginnings and Relocation[]

The venue would officially open at the DuPree Mill in the Fall of 1989. Established in 1989, and originally housed for an amazing 27 years in its legendary North Avenue location inside the historic Dupree’s Excelsior Mill, The Masquerade has presented most everyone who is anyone in the rock, alternative, indie, electronic, metal, punk and hip hop genres of live music.   The venue’s stages have played host to a list of artists which reads like a dessert menu of alternative music royalty.  Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden and Fugazi once graced the same stages that are today occupied by Odesza, Death Grips, Future, In This Moment, Little Dragon, Taking Back Sunday and countless other amazingly popular and influential bands.

In the world of music festivals, a number of firsts have taken place at The Masquerade. In 1992 the first ever Warped Tour played The Masquerade complex. That has been followed over the years by the first One Music Fest, the first Shaky Knees Music Festival, The first Imagine Fest, the first two editions of The Wrecking Ball ATL and the inaugural Scion RockFest among other major events.

Its live music mostly consists of alternative music styles, such as indie rock, metal, punk rock, rockabilly, and electronic, ranging from local acts to ones internationally known. The Masquerade's three principal interior stages are named after the destinations of the afterlife: Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell — though they are now all on the same level with separate entrances. At the mill, Heaven was upstairs above Hell at the right (west) side of the building, with Purgatory as the bar area downstairs to the left, all accessed from a central entryway behind the box office with a stairway to Heaven.

On 23 August 2016 it would be announced that The Masquerade would close and re-locate, with it's final event at the original location would be The Wrecking Ball ATL 2016 on 13 and 14 August.[3] The Masquerade would begin to host shows at it's new location on 29 November, featuring the likes of Red Fang (Hell), Epica (heaven) and The Soil & The Sun (Purgatory).[4]

Selected Notable Performers At The Venue[]

Heaven[]

Hell[]

Purgatory[]

Other/Unknown[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Masquerade Official
  2. ↑ Atlanta in Town Paper
  3. ↑ Atlanta.curbed
  4. ↑ AJC
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