SLSO Stories

Follow Along with the Powell Hall Expansion and Renovation

Powell Hall is one of America’s most acoustically renowned and visually stunning concert halls—and home to your St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. We’re renovating and expanding the 98-year-old building to preserve and enhance our civic treasure for generations to come.

This project is inspired by you: our goal is to provide greater access to music, an even more welcoming and comfortable experience for all, and a creative hub that helps us build connections through the power of music.

The revitalized Powell Hall will open in 2025 to coincide with the building’s centennial. We look forward to celebrating with you.

Learn more about the expansion and renovation

August 10, 2025

The first St. Louis Symphony Orchestra instruments have been moved into the Jack C. Taylor Music Center. Percussion instruments, including a myriad of cymbals, hand-held noisemakers, a marimba, and others were recently moved into the dedicated percussion room. This new space in the backstage addition allows far more sufficient storage for the percussion section’s equipment. Previously, instruments were stored where space allowed.

The new space is sound-isolated from the rest of the building, serving as a warm-up space for musicians. In addition to the percussion room, the new backstage includes dedicated storage and warm-up spaces for other large instruments, including timpani, piano, and harp.

  • August 8, 2025

    Dropping off guests for St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts will be much safer when the Jack C. Taylor Music Center opens in September. A new feature of the building’s exterior includes a forecourt that allows for patron drop-off or pick-up at the main entrance while not interfering with traffic on Grand Ave. The design of […]

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  • July 24, 2025

    A strategic priority of making Powell Hall more open and accessible on all sides of the building is nearly complete as a new entrance facing north on Delmar Blvd. is nearly complete. Whereas prior to the renovation, the north side of the building had a small, functionally obsolete entrance set in an imposing brick façade, […]

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  • June 2, 2025

    Yes, the iconic red carpet is back! Recently, crews from Flooring Systems Inc.—a St. Louis-based firm—began installing the red carpeting in the auditorium. When the Jack C. Taylor Music Center opens in September, the familiar red will once again cover floors in the auditorium, corridors, and the staircase in Powell Hall.  The carpet installation follows […]

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  • April 23, 2025

    What was once the Powell Hall Box Office will get a new life when the Jack C. Taylor Music Center opens in September 2025. This spring, construction crews are transforming the former Box Office space into a café and concessions area, one of six planned for the renovated and expanded venue. Framing work continued in […]

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  • April 10, 2025

    The new main entrance to Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center took another step towards completion with the recent installation of glass panels. Bright and open, the new entrance allows sunlight to stream into the space, facilitating a more connected feeling to the surrounding community.

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  • Powell Hall expansion and renovation

    April 4, 2025

    The new main entrance to Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center took another step towards completion with the recent installation of glass panels. Bright and open, the new entrance allows sunlight to stream into the space, facilitating a more connected feeling to the surrounding community. The arched entryway is one of four […]

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  • Powell Hall expansion and renovation

    March 31, 2025

    Powell Hall’s stage floor has seen countless performances, premieres, and musicians. But the wood floor, which has been carefully maintained and sanded over many years, has reached the end of its useful life and can no longer be refinished.  Crews recently removed the wood flooring and sub floor in preparation for replacement. Once complete, the stage floor will be stained white oak as before, […]

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  • February 24, 2025

    Framing for the most prominent feature of Powell Hall’s new lobby space is now in place, bringing the Snøhetta-designed expansion one step closer to completion. The large, arched curtain wall—or non-structural glass exterior wall—will serve as the primary new entrance to the building, facing southwest toward Grand Blvd. and Samuel Shepherd Dr.  Soon, glass will be installed, […]

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  • February 13, 2025

    When patrons enter the new lobby of the expanded Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, they’ll notice abundant natural light. Recently, work continued on an architectural feature that will allow sunlight to fill the space. A curtain wall—or non-structural exterior wall—has been installed facing east, featuring three stories of glass that opens […]

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  • January 30, 2025

    When audiences return to Powell Hall in September 2025, the auditorium will feature improved safety and code compliance. Throughout January, crews working on Powell Hall’s renovation installed guardrails at the front of the mezzanine and handrails along the balcony’s stairs, providing much needed stability and mobility assistance. The sleek, black supports will be finished with details that match […]

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  • January 23, 2025

    The SLSO’s dozens of percussion instruments will move out of any available nook and cranny and into organized new storage spaces with the renovation and expansion of Powell Hall. Recently, steel supports were installed in the dedicated Percussion Room located in the back of house expansion, part of a holistic plan to provide better storage for the SLSO’s many […]

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