We’re learning more about the $100-million metamorphosis of Powell Hall, home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, that will transform the Grand Center landmark into a state-of-the-art music center for the community.
Groundbreaking is set to take place in the spring for the project, which will expand Powell Hall’s footprint by 65,000 square feet – the first major renovation for the building since it became the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s (SLSO) permanent home in 1968.
“Powell Hall was originally built in 1925 as a movie theater – then known as the St. Louis Theatre. It lacks essential facilities for a 90-plus musician orchestra with a 100-member Youth Orchestra, two 100-plus person choruses and various educational activities,” said Marie-Hélène Bernard, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra president and CEO. “The renovation will add necessary backstage space that will maintain SLSO’s artistry at the highest level, while making it a destination for local and international artists.”
Among the new amenities, Bernard notes, will be more storage for large instruments, a new musician lounge and practice rooms, media suites, a music library, and dressing rooms for visiting artists.
The centerpiece of the backstage overhaul is a new Education and Learning Center, a 3,400-square-foot multi-purpose space for rehearsals, events and education programming that will extend SLSO’s outreach to the community and artists throughout the St. Louis region.
One of the biggest transformations will be the building’s main entrance, which will no longer have to compete with traffic on Grand Boulevard. Instead, a new entryway will be built on Samuel Shepard Drive, south of the existing building, where patrons will be able to come into the lobby by walking up to the main doors or being dropped off at the adjacent half-circle driveway. The redesigned lobby itself will be more visitor-friendly with an open floor plan.
“When designing the new entryway to Powell Hall, we sought to create a welcoming atmosphere that promotes a sense of community and inclusion, while complementing Powell Hall’s original design,” Bernard said. “The open design encourages community gathering, providing more space to congregate before and after concerts, and supports a variety of musical explorations and events.”
In addition, Bernard says the new lobby will have plenty of natural light, access to a large outdoor plaza, and upgraded amenities such as a convenient coat check, concession and retail areas, and improved restrooms.
To create a better audience experience, updates to the auditorium include reducing the theater’s seating capacity from 2,683 to 2,150, allowing for larger seats and additional leg room, as well as improving ADA-accessibility by adding handrails and three elevators.
There will also be a more visible entrance from Delmar Boulevard on the building’s north side, adding another point of entry.
The property’s parking area, currently located south and southeast of the building, will be reallocated and reconfigured to improve the traffic flow, Bernard said.
“We plan on improving the aesthetic of parking area by including more green space. We continue to have great partnerships with other institutions in the area, who have nearby parking lots, including the Veterans Administration Hospital, Grand Center and the Fox Theatre,” she noted.
Powell Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places. When it was built as the St. Louis Theatre in the 1920s, it hosted movies and vaudeville shows. The St. Louis Symphony first performed there in 1965 and made it its permanent home three years later. A generous gift from Helen Lamb Powell, in honor of her late husband, Walter, as well as the leadership of St. Louis Symphony Society presidents Oscar Johnson Jr. and Stanley Goodman, made the 1968 purchase and renovation possible.
The project is expected to be completed and open to the public in 2025.
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