August 5, 2026

Couple behind the Gorge plan two new performance venues next door

Renderings by ZGF [enlarge]

The Bryans want The Grotto to tread lightly on the land and be “the most sustainable performance venue in the country.”

Dr. Vincent Bryan and Carol Bryan, the founders of the Gorge Amphitheatre, want to create a new cultural destination overlooking the Columbia River.

The project, dubbed The Hilltop, is proposed for a 6.5-acre property in Quincy adjacent to the iconic amphitheater and Cave B Estate Winery, which was also founded and is still owned by the Bryans. An LLC owned by the couple is the landowner for The Hilltop. A nonprofit of the same name will deliver the project.

Described as a “nonprofit cultural destination above the Columbia,” The Hilltop is envisioned to have two performance venues perched above the Gorge alongside educational programs and community experiences.

The centerpiece of the campus is a 1,200-capacity indoor concert hall called The Grotto. The venue is currently in conceptual design. Seattle firm ZGF is the architect.

HONORING THE LANDSCAPE

In a press release, ZGF said The Grotto will “pair performance with the natural grandeur of its setting.” The venue will be designed to look as if it is emerging from and is connected to the landscape, with massing and materials inspired by surrounding basalt cliffs and expansive skies. Inside, the architecture will balance exceptional acoustics with an immersive audience experience, ZGF says.

The Hilltop is committed to treading lightly on the land and wants The Grotto to be the most sustainable performance venue in the country.

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Conceptual designs for The Grotto concert hall imagine a structure that appears to emerge from the landscape.

“We want the environment to be the structure for the architect to work with — not to impose a structure on it, but to look to the environment as it is, embracing the elements where they are, and allowing them to dictate the structure,” Vince Bryan, founder of The Hilltop, said. “In ZGF, we found a partner who understands that.”

Anticipated development and construction costs for The Grotto are between $35 million and $40 million.

A total of $30 million will need to be raised before breaking ground.

An inaugural fundraising event benefiting The Hilltop, Soar Festival, is set for Aug. 22 at the Cave B Estate Winery.

The Hilltop told the DJC that the latest anticipated construction start date for The Grotto is Jan. 1, 2028. Construction is expected to take between 16 and 18 months. It remains to be decided if the facility would be delivered via the design-bid-build or design-build method.

A CULTURAL CAMPUS

The second venue proposed for The Hilltop is an outdoor space dubbed The Terraces, consisting of naturally formed terraces and a knoll plus a band shelter. The goal is to build the band shelter on the knoll before The Grotto is finished. The material for the shelter hasn't yet been decided. ZGF will participate in the planning for the structure.

“We are thrilled to partner with Vince and Carol and The Hilltop on their extraordinary vision for a landmark arts and cultural destination above the Columbia,” Haruka Saito, principal, ZGF, said. “It's an incredible honor to help bring their vision to life and deliver a venue that will celebrate the arts, the environment, and the community for generations.”

A HISTORY OF VENUE MAKING

Today, the 27,500-capacity Gorge Amphitheater is a bucket list venue for many, but the facility started life as a small plywood stage at the Bryans' vineyard and winery.

The Bryans purchased several hundred acres, that include the Gorge and Hilltop sites, to start a vineyard in 1980. Noticing the natural acoustics of the portion that was to become the Gorge, they established a performance venue there in 1986.

The Bryans sold the venue to MCA in 1993. By that time it had grown to accommodate around 19,000 people. Live Nation has owned and operated the Gorge Amphitheater since 2006.

The Bryans established a 1,000-capacity amphitheater at Cave B in 2017.

Tickets are still available for Soar Festival and start at $108.39. More information and tickets at https://thehilltop.org

The fundraiser includes performances by David Foster & Friends, Katharine McPhee, and the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra.