The Birchmere

The Birchmere opened its doors on April 4, 1966, as a restaurant. Music was added in 1975 with a concert space that held up to 200 people. Its original location was 2723 S. Wakefield St. in the Shirlington area of Arlington, Virginia, in a strip mall that was later razed. On May 14, 1981, the Birchmere reopened at its second location at 3901 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia in a space that held at least 300 persons. In 1997, the club moved two blocks away to its current location at 3701 Mt. Vernon Avenue with seating for 500 customers. On January 23, 2023, Birchmere owner Gary Oelze died from natural causes at 80. ==Plan for expansion==

During the redevelopment of downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, a plan was developed to build a second Birchmere site, slated to be an $8 million, 800-seat venue. After years of negotiations, the deal was rejected on July 25, 2007. At the time, Birchmere management claimed that Montgomery County officials breached a contractual agreement with the music venue, but these claims were disputed by the developers and government officials who denied any contractual obligation for development. == Recordings ==

• The Johnson Mountain Boys recorded their Live at the Birchmere album on April 5, 1983. • The Four Bitchin' Babes recorded two of their live albums, ''Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair in 1990 and Gabby Road'' in 1997, at the Birchmere. • Riders in the Sky also recorded their live album there. • Dave Matthews Band recorded songs from their album Recently at the Birchmere on February 21, 1994. ==References==