Benaroya Hall facts for kids
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| Address | 200 University Street Seattle, Washington United States |
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| Coordinates | 47°36′29″N 122°20′13″W / 47.608051°N 122.336948°W |
| Type | Concert hall |
| Capacity | Taper: 2,500 Nordstrom: 536 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 1998 |
| Architect | LMN Architects |
| Website | |
| www.seattlesymphony.org/benaroya | |
Benaroya Hall is a special concert hall located in Downtown Seattle, Washington, USA. It is the main home for the amazing Seattle Symphony orchestra. This building has two main performance spaces. The largest is the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, which can seat 2,500 people. There is also the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, a smaller space for 536 people.
Benaroya Hall opened in September 1998. It cost about $120 million to build. People quickly noticed its great sound quality, fancy details, and perfect spot in the city center. The hall takes up a whole city block. It has helped the Seattle Symphony grow a lot, doubling their budget and the number of shows they put on. In the lobby, you can see beautiful glass art. One famous piece is called Crystal Cascade, made by the well-known artist Dale Chihuly.
Contents
Why it's Called Benaroya Hall
The building is named after a kind person named Jack Benaroya. He was a philanthropist, which means he gave a lot of money to good causes. His donation of $15.8 million was the first and largest gift for building the hall.
Designing a Special Concert Hall
LMN Architects from Seattle designed Benaroya Hall. In 2001, they won a big award called the National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects for their work. The engineers who made sure the building was strong were from Magnusson Klemencic Associates.
Keeping the Music Clear
Benaroya Hall is built in a very busy part of Seattle. It sits right above the Great Northern Tunnel, where trains travel through the city. It is also next to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, which has a train station connected directly to the building.
To make sure the sounds from trains and street traffic do not disturb the music, the main concert hall is built in a very clever way. It floats on special rubber pads! These pads separate the concert hall from the outer part of the building. This design helps keep out noise. It also helps protect the building from damage if there is an earthquake.
See also
In Spanish: Benaroya Hall para niños
