Our friends at Rafn Construction have been using these scaffolds to give the Great Hall a face lift, accessing the ceiling to install new molding and lovingly remove the stained glass windows for restoration offsite. Construction is going well, and we’re thrilled to watch the space transform over the next few months! When the upgrades are installed and the renovation is complete, we’re looking forward to inviting our community to fill the stately oak pews once again, and filling the Great Hall with the voices of our city.

Rafn Construction has also been assisting us with a particular project that we’re excited to share with you first: the installation of our signature acoustic upgrades!

First on our list is a custom-designed acoustic reflector. The wooden construction mimics the shape of a lute, and will deliver fully rounded sound to every seat in the house, so you can hear a pin drop, a single voice, the silence between violin strikes—or the roar of a full orchestra. Town Hall is a one-of-a-kind platform for our region’s homegrown talents and ideas, and this acoustic reflector will ensure that you hear the sounds of our city louder and clearer than ever!

We’re also including a suite of special sound dampening materials to preserve sound fidelity between our performance spaces. Imagine a symphony in the Great Hall, a civic policy discussion in the new West Lounge, and live radio theatre Downstairs—all at the same time. The insulation will ensure that you hear every detail of your program with no interruptions from the others (or the din of traffic from outside). Add in a new bass trap and AV upgrades, and we’re poised to become an even better home for music and culture in Seattle—an even stronger shared resource for artists and audiences alike.

You’ll be hearing more about these acoustic upgrades in the coming weeks, but we wanted you to be the first to know! Stay tuned as we unveil new and exciting details, and stand with us as we ask our community to come together to help fund a world-class performance hall for our homegrown talents.

A rendering of the new acoustic reflector.