Powell Hall facts for kids
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St. Louis Theatre (1925-68)
Powell Symphony Hall (1968-2001) |
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Exterior of venue (c.1966)
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| Address | 718 N Grand Blvd St. Louis, MO 63103-1011 |
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| Location | Grand Center |
| Public transit |  MetroBus |
| Owner | St. Louis Symphony |
| Type | Concert hall |
| Capacity | 2,683 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 25, 1925 |
| Renovated | 1967-68 |
| Closed | 1966-68 |
| Reopened | January 24, 1968 |
| Architect | Rapp & Rapp |
| Website | |
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Powell Hall
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Gothic, Late Victorian |
| Part of | Midtown Historic District (ID78003392) |
| Added to NRHP | July 7, 1978 |
Powell Hall is a famous concert hall in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the home of the St. Louis Symphony. The building first opened in 1925 as the St. Louis Theatre. It showed movies and hosted live shows called vaudeville.
In 1966, the St. Louis Symphony Society bought the theater. They renamed it Powell Symphony Hall. This was done to honor Walter S. Powell, a local businessman. His wife gave $1 million to help the symphony buy and use the hall. The hall can seat 2,683 people.
Powell Hall is part of the Midtown Historic District. This district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also part of the Grand Center Arts District, St. Louis.
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History of Powell Hall
The building was first known as The St. Louis Theater. It was built in 1925 and had 4,100 seats. The famous architectural firm Rapp & Rapp designed it. For its first 40 years, the theater was a place for live vaudeville shows. It also showed many motion pictures.
The last movie shown there was The Sound of Music in 1966. After that, the Symphony Society bought the building for $500,000. This was made possible by a gift from Oscar Johnson Jr. They spent another $2 million to update and fix up the theater. The hall reopened in January 1968. It became the new home for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Carl Stalling started his music career as an organist at the St. Louis Theater. He later became famous for creating music for Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes cartoons.
St. Louis Speakers Series
Since 1998, Powell Hall has hosted the St. Louis Speakers Series. Maryville University currently presents this series. It features seven events each season. You can only attend by buying a full-season subscription.
Exciting Renovations and Expansions
In January 2023, the St. Louis Symphony announced big plans for Powell Hall. A major renovation project began in spring 2023. This was the first big update since 1968. Marie-Hélène Bernard, the Symphony's President and CEO, said they wanted to keep the hall's history. They also wanted to create a modern space for music and community events.
The expansion included many new features:
- A large Education and Learning Center. This space has rehearsal rooms. It is used for educational programs, parties, and community meetings.
- A new three-story lobby with terraces. This area has better facilities for visitors.
- Much more space backstage for performers. This includes dressing rooms, a musician lounge, and practice rooms. There are also music libraries and recording studios.
- New places for people to be dropped off. These entrances are easier to access for everyone.
- Outdoor green spaces where audiences can gather.
While the hall was being worked on, the Symphony performed in other places. Most shows were at Stifel Theatre, Lindenwood University's J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, and UMSL's Touhill Performing Arts Center. The updated Powell Hall is scheduled to open in 2025. This will be just in time for the building's 100th anniversary.
Jack C. Taylor Music Center
On September 18, 2024, the Symphony announced a new name for the expansion wing. It is now called the Jack C. Taylor Music Center. Jack C. Taylor was the founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. He gave a lot of money to arts groups in St. Louis. In 2000, he gave $40 million to the orchestra's trust. This was the largest gift ever given to an American orchestra at that time. This gift helped save the orchestra from financial trouble.
The Crawford Taylor Foundation, started by Jack C. Taylor, also gave $30 million. This money supported the renovation and expansion of Powell Hall. The Jack C. Taylor Music Center includes Powell Hall itself. It also has a new 64,000-square-foot expansion. This new part has the entrance lobby, education center, and backstage area.
The renovation also included new seats for the concert hall. The number of seats was reduced by about 500. The new capacity is 2,150 seats. This size is similar to other orchestras in the U.S. A new 3,400-square-foot area was added where a parking lot used to be. This space is for education programs and lectures. It also provides rehearsal space for the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus.
See also
- Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
- Fox Theatre (St. Louis)
- List of concert halls
