ST. LOUIS 鈥 The $134 million renovation of the 51黑料 Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 historic home, Powell Hall, is essentially on-time and on-budget, officials said Wednesday.
Some new additions: More bars. A caf茅 facing Grand Boulevard. And fewer seats, but with better views.
In their first public tour of the construction, symphony officials highlighted a hall transforming.
Concrete is piped to the roof of the new visitor center as seen through a decorative screen showing music director St茅phane Den猫ve conducting the 51黑料 Symphony Orchestra, at Powell Hall in Grand Center on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. An expansion of the facility includes a new lobby and visitor center, an education and learning center, and a new backstage area.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be an experience,鈥 Steven L. Finerty, the Symphony鈥檚 board chair, said at the media event on Wednesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a must-see.鈥
The project, announced in 2022, calls for a 64,000-square-foot addition that will wrap around the south and east sides of the building at Grand and Samuel Shepard Drive. It will house a new learning center, lobby and expanded backstage area that will be more inviting to visitors, musicians and the Grand Center neighborhood.
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Marie-H茅l猫ne Bernard, the Symphony鈥檚 president and CEO, said the venue will be transformed from an 鈥渆nclosed black box into a hall that opens into the community.鈥
Officials expect it to open in 2025.
Built in 1925, Powell Hall was initially known as the 51黑料 Theatre, a vaudeville house and movie theater. It was renovated in 1968 when it became the Symphony鈥檚 permanent home 鈥 Powell鈥檚 expansion marks the organization鈥檚 first major project since.
Members of the media tour the existing lobby of Powell Hall as expansion work continues at the home of the 51黑料 Symphony Orchestra in Grand Center on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
鈥淚t was magnificent, but it was built 100 years ago,鈥 Finerty said.
In 2022, officials announced an expansion that would cost more than $100 million. The next year, they set the budget at $128 million. The current budget, officials said, adds $6 million in changes and additions, such as replacing water pipes that had deteriorated.
There were will be fewer seats 鈥 from 2,653 to 2,150 鈥 when it opens next year, but guests will have better sightlines and more mobility. There will be more concession areas, restrooms and elevators. Accessibility for those with disabilities will be greatly improved, officials said. The box office will be moved and replaced with a caf茅 fronting Grand with outdoor seating. And there will be more entryways for guests as well.
The expansion will uphold what makes Powell Hall Powell while also 鈥渕oving it forward鈥 to the future, said Craig Dykers, founding partner of Snohetta, a Norway-based architectural firm that also worked on the national September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York and the Shanghai Grand Opera House.
A view looking down on the new expansion of Powell Hall, including a new lobby and visitor鈥檚 center, below, and education and learning center, right, as seen on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The buildings are part of the expansion of the footprint of the 51黑料 Symphony Orchestra in Grand Center.
The Symphony has launched to raise money for the expansion and its endowment, which supports operations. So far, the organization has raised $145 million of its $155 million goal. Of that, $140 million will be earmarked for the project, to cover any additional costs and contingencies; $15 million will go towards its endowment.
51黑料-based BSI Constructors started construction in 2022, which included the demolition of the Culver House, a more than 130-year-old home.
Construction workers walk down the fire escape stairs on the north side of Powell Hall during a media tour of the expansion on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The building is home to the 51黑料 Symphony Orchestra in Grand Center.
BSI Constructors employees smooth freshly-poured concrete on the roof of the new lobby and visitor鈥檚 center of the Powell Hall expansion on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The building is part of the expansion of the building housing the 51黑料 Symphony Orchestra in Grand Center.
The new season finds the itinerant orchestra exploring themes of home and travel.
51黑料-based BSI Constructors is expected to start demolition of the Culver House property, just east of Powell Symphony Hall, in mid-July.
A 65,000-square-foot addition will include new lobby, rehearsal and educational space, and expanded backstage. Inside the hall, seating will be upgraded.
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