New seating and gathering spaces at Benaroya Hall invite visitors to linger before and after performances. Photo courtesy of Seattle Symphony.
Finding the perfect selfie spot at Benaroya Hall wasn’t always easy. Architect Elizabeth Gordon of Mithun noticed this while studying how visitors used the building.
“We’d see people looking for a place to take a selfie and not really finding a good backdrop for it,” she says. Instead, they’d end up taking pictures in the middle of a hallway.
Gordon also noticed elegantly dressed concertgoers who had nowhere particularly inviting to linger. Those observations helped shape a $20 million renovation designed to make Benaroya Hall more than a place to hear great music. The hall officially reopened Sept. 18.
The renovation aims to welcome concertgoers, downtown workers and people gathering for meetings and events alike.
“Beyond enhancing the concertgoing experience, we wanted Benaroya Hall to be a place where people can gather, connect and spend time,” Jeremy Rothman, president and CEO of the Seattle Symphony and Benaroya Hall, says in a written response.
Gordon and her team spent time watching how visitors moved through the building, identifying crowded walkways and underused corners. They added built-in booths, quieter seating areas and comfortable places to settle in, whether for morning coffee, an informal meeting or a glass of champagne before a performance.
Gordon wanted spaces that felt less like a lobby and more like somewhere people would want to stay.
But the real inspiration came from the music itself.
The design team studied sound waves, musical instruments and even the movements of conductors and musicians.
“For us, it really made sense to delve into the reason that people actually come to that space, which was music,” Gordon says.
She calls the concept the “geometry of music.” Curved architectural elements evoke melody, while the repeating lines of the Boeing Company Gallery suggest rhythm. Brass finishes nod to the orchestra’s brass section, and darker wood recalls string instruments. More than 320 glass globes were hand-blown at Tacoma’s Museum of Glass.
The renovated Boeing Company Gallery features new globe lighting and gathering spaces beneath Benaroya Hall’s soaring windows. Photo courtesy of Seattle Symphony.
Picking a favorite feature isn’t easy, but Gordon is particularly proud of the new Overlook Lounge.
The expanded space looks down on the main entrance, offering a fresh perspective on the Chihuly glasswork and the color-changing Skytones installation. Its ceiling design even transitions from melody-inspired curves to the straight lines of rhythm.
The renovation also creates new options for meetings and special events. A refreshed West Bar offers city views, while the new Delta Air Lines Foundation Community Space can host workshops, nonprofit gatherings and rotating exhibitions by local artists.
A new culinary partnership with Sodexo Live! and Seattle chef Ethan Stowell brings Pacific Northwest flavors to catered gatherings.
And visitors don’t need a concert ticket to stop by. The Boeing Company Gallery is open to the public on weekdays, with coffee, food and drinks available at Marianna’s Café.
New seating areas give visitors a comfortable place to relax, socialize or simply enjoy the surroundings. Photo courtesy of Seattle Symphony.
Throughout the building, Gordon’s team created what she calls little “eddies,” protected places where people can sit, talk and connect without getting swept up in the crowds.
And there’s already evidence that the changes are striking a chord.
“We’ve already seen people hanging out longer after shows, which is what we wanted,” Gordon says.
Her ultimate hope? That Benaroya Hall becomes “a living room for the city.”