Workers pour concrete for the third floor of the expanded Powell Hall on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Photo by Christine Jackson.
Patrons worried about the amount of trucks and scaffolding outside of historic Powell Hall can rest easy. The elegant lobby, despite the surrounding organized chaos, still looks much as it did when the city’s storied symphony last graced the former movie palace. And apart from some hardware updates and a good power-washing, there are no plans for the façade or iconic sign to change.
But beyond the familiar front entrance and all that interior white and gold, the work is truly underway. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has reached the halfway point of its multi-year renovation of Powell Hall, which includes the construction of a new lobby and box office as well as a backstage expansion. The project remains on pace to be completed in time for fall 2025 performances.
Powell Hall lobby during renovations. Photo by Christine Jackson.
“It really became clear when we formed the task force in 2016 and began this work that this was a project really driven by community and audience needs,” says SLSO president and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard. “Powell Hall being close to a hundred years old, it was no longer supporting the needs of audiences in the 21st century.”
When it comes to the visitor experience, audiences can look forward to improved accessibility measures such as wheelchair-accessible paths through the hall, a designated space for families and those with sensory needs, wider seats with more leg room, more elevators, and nearly double the amount of restrooms. Also on the docket are an expansive terrace, drop-off lanes, a donor lounge, and an expanded retail area. Those who’ve found themselves choosing between a trip to the facilities and the concessions line will also be glad to hear that the renovated Powell Hall will include multiple cafés and bars to alleviate wait times.
Outside the theater, design firm Snøhetta has poured their attention into making sure the new Powell Hall is both beautiful and welcoming. According to senior project leader Takeshi Tornier, the new buildings were inspired by existing shapes from Powell Hall’s movie palace past and the geometry of classical instruments. Renderings show a bright, soaring lobby featuring flowing curves.
“We tried to think of the new expansion geometrically almost in a complementary inside out approach,” says Tornier. “The hall, as you know, is very organic. It's very curved, but it is located inside of a box on the outside. Our new building is complementary. It's more open and more extroverted in a way. Those shapes that you see on the inside of Powell Hall now made it to the outside of the building.”
Scaffolding inside Powell Hall. Photo courtesy of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Entrances on all sides will offer brighter, more visible paths into the expanded space, while exterior windows will allow both audience members and passersby the opportunity to see the activity going on inside from the street. Soft-gray brick matched to the color of Powell Hall’s exterior terracotta has been chosen to wrap the building’s new spaces and will be laid using unique specifications to achieve the design’s organic curves.
“Curved and canted masonry is a very unusual material to select,” says Powell Hall project manager Anna Leavey. “It’s driving our mason a little crazy, but it’s those fine little details that are going to really make this project special.”
Surrounding the building will be green spaces that offer both an outdoor respite for visitors and a visual tie to the adjoining park across North Grand, which designers from Snøhetta say was an essential part of the planning process. A mix of native evergreens and annuals will fill the space, allowing the exterior to change with the seasons.
Project representatives say that, at the halfway point, the project is both on budget and on track to be complete by September 2025. With this milestone comes a new appeal from the SLSO. On Wednesday, the organization announced its new funding campaign, Music for All: The Campaign for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, which seeks to raise an additional $10 million for the project.
“We're turning to the community to invite them to support this project,” says Bernard. “The campaign itself covers the project and adds to the endowment to continue to support programming in a new building, as well as other operational needs.”
Over $145 million has already been raised toward the total goal of $155 million, which includes $140 million to support renovation costs and $15 million to support the SLSO endowment. Those who wish to contribute to the campaign can do so online at slso.org.
