August 28, 2025

Civic revitalization through the arts

Yang

Franko

The opening of Benaroya Hall in 1998 and the establishment of a dedicated home for the Seattle Symphony fulfilled a long-held dream and marked a turning point for the orchestra, but also for downtown Seattle. Benaroya Hall transformed Seattle’s cultural landscape and helped to reshape the downtown neighborhood, which saw significant retail and housing growth, sparking a new era of revitalization in the heart of the city.

Today, as Seattle continues to recover from the lasting impacts of the pandemic, downtown is undergoing another period of renewal, with new investments in the waterfront, expanded light rail and a growing desire for connection.

In May, the Seattle Symphony and Benaroya Hall launched the public phase of Amplify, a capital campaign to invest in Benaroya Hall’s public spaces. With a goal of $20 million, Amplify reimagines Benaroya Hall as a destination in Downtown Seattle, including more welcoming spaces and enhanced experiences through a new Café, Welcome Desk, Overlook Lounge and Community Room; refreshed lobby spaces with increased seating and hospitality; improved wayfinding; and public art and programming.

Through the Amplify campaign, the Seattle Symphony community is investing in the future of Benaroya Hall as a vibrant, welcoming space that meets the evolving needs of our dynamic and diverse city. This transformation is about reimagining the visitor experience, elevating our public spaces and deepening Benaroya Hall’s role as a beacon for creativity, connection and civic pride for everyone.

A GATHERING PLACE FOR EVERYONE

Throughout the year, Benaroya Hall showcases the richness and diversity of the cultural life of our region, hosting countless community events, including concerts, lectures, graduations, corporate meetings, receptions, comedy shows, conferences, awards shows, celebrations of life, film festivals, weddings and more. Amplify will deepen Benaroya Hall’s ability to serve the public, welcome neighbors and uplift the many organizations, artists, students and visitors who share this exceptional civic gathering space.

Images by Mithun [enlarge]

New spaces like the Overlook Lounge and the Gallery below expand gathering opportunities and elevate the hospitality experience at Benaroya Hall.

The vision for Amplify was born of Benaroya Hall’s community-focused mission. Prior to its official launch, the revitalization project underwent a comprehensive, community-based fact-finding process led by consulting firm Campbell & Company and multidisciplinary design firm Mithun. This process included interviews, focus groups and facility tours with community leaders and stakeholders.

Mithun used this stakeholder feedback to design the reimagined Benaroya Hall public spaces to ensure that the goal of creating a welcoming space for all would be met by the project.

ENHANCING VISIBILITY AND VISITOR FLOW

Improvements to the visitor experience begin at the exterior with enhanced building entrances, new signage and improved lighting to promote visibility, safety and engagement. New high-definition marquees on the building corners and LED displays at street level will provide engaging and easily modified content about activities at Benaroya Hall. Consolidated entries to the two halls and enhanced lighting at entry canopies will support a safer and clearer entry experience.

The first phase of construction began earlier this summer with exterior improvements along Third Avenue; Benaroya Hall will remain open during this phase of work. Interior renovations will begin in spring 2026.

WELCOMING DIVERSE AUDIENCES

The renovation will transform public spaces in The Boeing Company Gallery along Third Avenue from a transitional zone to a civic living room and community gathering space — a place to linger and connect. At the expanded Café, recessed niches carved into the high-ceiling gallery are redesigned with carpeting, fabric and wood paneling to create a more intimate and quieter series of seating spaces for use during events, and available to the general public between programs. The new concierge-style Welcome Desk provides a hospitality-oriented ticketing experience with improved accessibility.

[enlarge]

Design details in the Grand Lobby celebrate Seattle’s arts heritage and create a more welcoming space for connection before, during and after performances.

At the north end of the gallery, a new Community Room repurposes the existing ticketing space to create an inviting new multipurpose venue for meetings, sensory-friendly streaming during events, pre-concert talks and free public programming. This visible space will expand Benaroya Hall’s capacity to serve as a meeting place, encouraging social interaction and dialogue among diverse groups, fostering a sense of community and belonging.

CELEBRATING THE ARTS, REGIONAL IDENTITY

Lobby areas will be elevated through public art installations, inviting and varied types of seating, and enhanced lounges and bars to improve flow and create a more welcoming experience. Unifying the space, new carpeting incorporates the full color palette into a large, flowing pattern inspired by sound waves and softened to achieve a biophilic experience that resembles dappled light.

Inspired by music, sinuous forms in the design evoke melody while repetitive orthogonal forms create a sense of rhythm, complementing and enhancing the existing architecture. This interplay is tuned to create a harmony of elements, heightening the visitor experience, with extensive use of wood and artisanal glass — materials grounded in the history of the Pacific Northwest.

INVESTING IN A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE

For more than 25 years, Benaroya Hall has stood in the heart of downtown Seattle, as a home for the performing arts, a landmark of civic pride, and a gathering place for people from across our region. Amplify reimagines the building’s public spaces for everyone, and highlights the vital role that cultural institutions play in weaving a vibrant and inclusive civic fabric. Here’s to the next 25 years!

To learn more, visit seattlesymphony.org/amplify.

Project team members include Mithun, architecture and interior design; The Seneca Group, project management; Holmes, structural engineering; PAE, MEP engineering; Luma Lighting Design, lighting; ARUP, audio visual; Sellen Construction, general contractor.

Maria Yang is the Acting CEO and Chief Development & Project Officer of the Seattle Symphony and Benaroya Hall, leading major strategic and fundraising initiatives, including the Amplify capital campaign. Rich Franko is an architect and partner at Mithun specializing in the design of cultural and education facilities.

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