St. Louis Symphony Orchestra prepares for massive renovation and expansion of Powell Hall this spring

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - Patrons young and old filled Powell Hall Monday night for a tribute concert to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The performance kicks off some of the last few months inside Powell Hall as we know it.

The $100 million renovation kicks off this spring, with a groundbreaking on the expansion beginning in March. The 65,000-square-foot expansion will include a new education and learning center and a new lobby. There will also be a new backstage including new dressing rooms for performers.

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will finish its season in May, and then the renovation of the 98-year-old Powell Hall will begin.

“Everything we love about Powell Hall will be preserved, the style and colors, but we’re replacing the seats, and in the process of replacing the seats, we’re giving more comfortable, larger seats, more legroom, as well as 22 seats to be accessible to anyone in a walker or wheelchair,” explained SLSO President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard.

The 2023-2024 season will take place throughout the community, including at Touhill Performing Arts Center and Stifel Theatre.

The projected timeline will see the renovated Powell Hall reopen in 2025, just in time for the centennial anniversary of the theater.

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