ST. LOUIS — Powell Hall sits in the heart of the Grand Arts District right across the street from the Fox Theatre in Midtown St. Louis.
Renovations are being made to the front entrance, lobby, box office, seats and contractors have decreased the elevation by leveling the slope on the hall's floor.
Currently, the hall has 14 ADA parking spaces, two elevators, zero practice rooms for musicians and no education and learning center.
The future of the hall will have 20 ADA parking spaces, five elevators, 12 practice rooms, doubled concession areas and a 300-seat education and learning center.
The hall's president and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard said one of the major upgrades was making sure all four sides of the building were accessible to visitors.
"We're creating a new entrance off of Delmar, facing the north side, sending a strong signal that the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Powell Hall that we are wanting to make music accessible to all and that we have a commitment to all in the community," Bernard said. "Really, the design that the architects developed for the expansion is creating a lot of open space into the building, lots of windows, lots of glass so that you can see what's going on when you're outside and see the neighborhoods."
Hall officials saod from 2016 to 2019 there were a lot of planning meetings and a task force was created for future upgrades. In March 2023, the design team was formed and renovations began. September 2025 is the estimated time when the hall will be complete just in time for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra season.
"2019 is the time where things all came together," Bernard said. "And we started the master planning, design development in 2020, just right as the pandemic was beginning, and the fundraising started quietly at that time. So you know, by the time we reach completion in 2025, the building will turn 100 years old, and it will have been close to nine years from really the first meeting we had to discuss the possibility of an expansion and renovation," Bernard said.
A behind-the-scenes look at Powell Hall renovations
Bernard said the orchestra has been anxiously awaiting their return, and it has been playing at various venues around town including the St. Louis Art Museum and the Stifel Theatre.
The hall has been on the national register of historic places since 2001, so the upgrades they can make to the outside are extremely limited. But upgrades made instead will be a taste of new and old.
So far, the hall has raised $140 million for the project itself. But now, they'll need your help in adding to a new endowment fund called the "Music For All" campaign. $15 million is needed for an endowment fund and it will ensure the future of Powell Hall.
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