Design for the exterior of the renovated Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony.
In last Tuesday’s (5/5) Puget Sound Business Journal, Marc Stiles writes, “Benaroya Hall contributed to downtown Seattle’s late-20th century renaissance. The Seattle Symphony is planning an encore with a $20 million update starting next month. The symphony last week launched the public phase of its Amplify campaign to invest in the public spaces at its home venue, beginning on Third Avenue with new marquees, reconfigured primary entrances and better lighting. Also planned is a new welcome desk, expanded café with seating, new community room with free public programming, and collaboration space for nonprofit partners. Inside, lobby-area public art installations, seating, and enhanced lounges and bars are planned. The city Department of Transportation and Office of Arts & Culture are planning art and bike infrastructure for this block … When it opened 27 years ago, the $120 million city-owned Benaroya Hall helped revitalize downtown … The hall became the city’s most-visited arts venue, and downtown hummed for years … The pandemic and social unrest ended that … Leslie Jackson Chihuly, chair of the symphony’s Benaroya Hall board, said that Amplify aims to reimagine the visitor experience and [deepen] ‘the Hall’s role as a beacon for creativity, connection and civic pride for everyone.’ ”
