The Vera Project has been demolished.

Vera, as it stood on Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle, has been demolished anyway. Torn down. Turned to dust. Totally gone. The wrecking ball came in and took the mother out. But the Vera Project itself, which is much less a physical entity these days and much more a presence in the hearts of many all-ages music-scene supporters throughout the city (and beyond), of course, still very much exists. And just as its former walls come crashing down, Vera's new digs are about to (finally) go up.

Since having to close its doors back on April 1, the Vera Project has taken its programming to the streets of Seattle, finding temporary shelter at venues such as Capitol Hill Arts Center (CHAC), the Downtown YMCA, and Vera's own offices on Thomas Street. Even with the constant work required to keep the Viva Vera campaign going strong (which was set up in order to raise $1.5 million for a new venue), the organization still managed to secure some pretty badass programming to get us through the summer—A Drink for the Kids, the annual Free for All with You Say Party! We Say Die!, and an onslaught of shows with bands like Japanther and This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb.

You may not have even noticed, then, when the Vera Project quietly reached its $1 million mark a couple of weeks ago, meaning it's two-thirds of the way there and can now start remodeling the Seattle Center's Snoqualmie Room into the new and permanent Vera.

The original goal was to have the new venue ready by the fall. Well, things are running a little behind schedule. But Vera's employees are excited to announce they're ready to start construction, and they're throwing themselves a little groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate, which will happen at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, at the site of the new venue.

The details of the event are top secret, but Kate Becker, Vera's capital campaign director, did confirm that the party will "involve a celebrity groundbreaker and a golden shovel." She also explained why it has taken as long as it has to start work on the new venue. "We had a mighty ambitious goal of raising $1.5 million in six months. We knew it was lofty, but we dreamed big. We went for it and we're a little behind, but making great progress."

So, now that construction will get underway, what will happen to the former Snoqualmie Room to make it meet Vera's high standards? Well, it will be tuned into a 9,000-square-foot venue that will have a 300-plus capacity for live shows, as well as house multipurpose rooms for workshops and classes, an art gallery, a screen-printing and art studio, and a recording studio. It will undoubtedly be amazing. Floor plans can be viewed and donations can be made (there's still half a million buck to be raised, after all) at www.vivavera.org.