The stunning upgrades to Powell Symphony Hall, along with the architectural elements of the newly created Jack C. Taylor Music Center that wraps around it, reflect a $140 million transformation unveiled in spectacular fashion.
“It’s like an art piece, you know what I mean,” said veteran media personality Robyn Boyce as she made her rounds through the space last week.
“We celebrate being back home, together,” added St. Louis Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard as she welcomed guests to the media preview. The upgrade honors the hall’s storied past while opening its doors to a broader future.
As night fell, the vision of the reimagined hall became crystal clear. Guests arriving for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s 146th season became the first to experience the multimillion-dollar redesign by world-renowned firm Snøhetta.
Formal gowns and tuxedos mingled with blue jeans, T-shirts and well-worn sneakers as crowds made their way toward the new entryway on Saturday. Light from the music center’s massive windows made the building appear as much a beacon of light as it is a building that’s home to the nation’s second-oldest symphony.
“This new hall and music center, which is so open to the outside with its gorgeous windows and the stairs going up … is the way to help people feel that they belong,” said SLSO Music Director Stéphane Denève. “That it is home for them too.”
That feeling permeated through the space in a series of events leading up to the opening weekend — including the grand-scale ribbon cutting the week before the public had access to the space.
“This region owes you a debt that it can never repay,” a passerby said to Andrew C. Taylor. After taking in the grand new staircase in the building named after Taylor’s father, the guest made sure to thank Andrew Taylor personally.
“This city doesn’t owe me a thing,” Taylor said as he shook the person’s hand. “It has been a privilege and an honor to support this wonderful orchestra — and this amazing community.”
Being a St. Louis Symphony benefactor has become as synonymous with the Taylor name as Enterprise Holdings — the company Andrew Taylor’s father, Jack Taylor, founded nearly 70 years ago. As the business expanded, so too did the family’s support for SLSO over the decades.
With the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, SLSO now has the venue that its talent and reputation deserve.
“It exceeded our expectations. We are really delighted with the way it came out,” said Anna Leavey, who served as project manager for the expansion.
The upgrades and additions to Powell Hall, which has been SLSO’s home since 1968, took ten years of planning and two years of construction.
“It has been such a team effort. We are happy to now be able to share it with everyone,” Leavey said. “This is one of the special projects that I’ve worked on, and I’m really excited to share it with students, people in the St. Louis and the region.”
Her sentiment was echoed by Craig Dykers, a founding partner of Snøhetta and lead architect for the 64,000-square-foot expansion.
“I love to see people’s faces as they walk up to this magnificent expansion,” Dykers said. “But then there is also the joy when they see the renovations inside Powell Hall. They see we haven’t changed that much, and we’ve really just improved.”
Denève loves the flow of the space. A few steps from the contemporary feel of the music center with its winding concrete staircase and floor-to-ceiling windows, are all the classic elements of Powell Hall.
“It really reconciled the old with the new,” Denève said. “For me, it is spectacularly well made. You have the feeling that whatever your age, whatever your style, you will feel at home here.”
He also praised the upgrades to the historically inaccessible concert hall. “This place has to be accessible because of the true message that what we do is for everybody,” Denève said.
But for him, that goes beyond providing much-needed upgrades so that patrons with a wide spectrum of abilities can attend with greater ease. He feels that the upgrades come with an instant sense of belonging.
“I’m always very sad when people seem to be a bit worried or intimidated,” Denève said. “We love something, which is music, and we want to offer it to you. And we want to do everything we can to make sure you feel at ease to receive it.”
For Dykers, having a role reimagining SLSO’s new home deepened his connection to the city.
“There is no place like St. Louis anywhere else in the world,” Dykers said. “And everyone knows St. Louis and have a particular love for the city — even if they’ve never been here. I was one of those people. Being a part of this project is special because of that — and I don’t get that feeling in every city.”