 Interior of McCaw Hall in 2007 | |
 Interactive map of Marion Oliver McCaw Hall | |
| Former names | Civic Auditorium (1928–1959) Seattle Opera House (1962–2001) |
|---|---|
| Address | 321 Mercer Street Seattle,Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°37′26″N122°21′04″W / 47.624°N 122.351°W /47.624; -122.351 |
| Owner | City of Seattle |
| Type | Concert hall |
| Capacity | 2,963 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1927–1928 |
| Opened | May 18, 1928 (original) April 21, 1962 June 28, 2003 |
| Renovated | 1959–1962 2002–2003 |
| Construction cost | (for 2003 renovation) US$90 million[1] (equivalent to $150 million in 2024) |
| Website | |
| http://www.mccawhall.com | |
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall (often abbreviated toMcCaw Hall) is a performing arts hall inSeattle, Washington. Located on the grounds of theSeattle Center and owned by the city of Seattle, McCaw Hall's two principal tenants areSeattle Opera andPacific Northwest Ballet. The building is named for Marion Oliver McCaw, whose four sons donated $20 million to fund a major renovation in 2003. It was formerly known as theCivic Auditorium andSeattle Opera House.
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In 1928, the building originally opened as the Civic Auditorium. Its construction was funded by a donation from Seattle saloon owner James Osborne and a voter-approvedmunicipal bond issue; the site was donated to the city byDavid Denny, one of the members of theDenny Party credited with founding the city of Seattle. The auditorium became the home of theSeattle Symphony and also hosted several touring shows.[2]
In 1956, voters passed another bond measure to fund expansion of the Civic Auditorium for use as a venue in the upcomingWorld's Fair. Construction began in 1959.[2]
On April 21, 1962, the opening day of the World's Fair, the auditorium reopened as the Seattle Opera House, with a Seattle Symphony performance featuringIgor Stravinsky as a guest conductor andVan Cliburn as a guest soloist.[2]
The Opera House hosted several performances during the World's Fair, including live telecasts ofThe Ed Sullivan Show, a science fiction panel discussion featuringRay Bradbury andRod Serling, and multiple concerts and dance performances featuring acts from around the world.[2]
In 1963, theSeattle Opera company was founded, holding its first season in the Opera House in 1964.[2]
In 1972, thePacific Northwest Ballet was founded, holding its first season in the Opera House in 1973.[2]
On June 30, 1998, the Seattle Symphony held its final concert in the Opera House, moving to the newly completedBenaroya Hall soon after.[2]
In 1999, voters passed a bond measure to fund another major renovation to the Opera House. The "most dramatic" renovation and expansion of the Opera House began in 2002.[2] Cell phone pioneerCraig McCaw, along with his three brothers, donated US$20 million to help fund construction, and in exchange, the newly renovated building was renamed Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, after their mother.[3]
LMN Architects oversaw the renovation, which involved a redevelopment of 280,000 square feet (26,000 m2) of space, at a cost of US$90 million (equivalent to $150 million in 2024).[1]
In late June 2003, McCaw Hall formally reopened. The first concert at the renovated venue took place on September 29, 2003.[4]
Thanks to the 'Dreaming in Color' artwork commissioned by the Seattle Art Commission, visitors to the Seattle Center Campus walk under a glowing "ceiling" implied by a series of translucent metal scrims floating overhead in the 300-foot (91 m)-long Kreielsheimer Promenade leading to the Center.
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