Marion Oliver McCaw Hall (often abbreviated to McCaw Hall) is a performing arts hall in Seattle, Washington. Located on the grounds of Seattle Center and owned by the city of Seattle, McCaw Hall's two principal tenants are the Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet. The building is named for Marion Oliver McCaw, whose four sons donated $20 million to fund a major renovation in 2003. It was formerly known as the Civic Auditorium and Seattle Opera House.
Interior of McCaw Hall in 2007
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| Former names | Seattle Opera House (1962–2001) Civic Auditorium (1928–1959) |
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| Address | 321 Mercer Street Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°37′26″N 122°21′04″W / 47.624°N 122.351°W / 47.624; -122.351 |
| Owner | City of Seattle |
| Type | Concert hall |
| Capacity | 2,963 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1927–1928 |
| Opened | May 18, 1928 (original) April 21, 1962 June 28, 2003 |
| Renovated | 2002–2003 1959–1962 |
| Construction cost | $90 million [1][2] |
| Website | |
| mccawhall.com | |
The building originally opened in 1928 as the Civic Auditorium. Its construction was funded by a donation from Seattle saloon owner James Osborne and a voter-approved municipal bond issue; the site was donated to the city by David Denny, one of the members of the Denny Party credited with founding the city of Seattle. The auditorium became the home of the Seattle Symphony and also hosted several touring shows. In 1956, voters passed another bond measure to fund expansion of the Civic Auditorium for use as a venue in the upcoming World's Fair. Construction began in 1959, and the auditorium reopened as the Seattle Opera House on April 21, 1962 – the opening day of the World's Fair – with a Seattle Symphony performance featuring Igor Stravinsky as a guest conductor and Van Cliburn as a guest soloist.[3]
The Opera House hosted several performances during the World's Fair, including live telecasts of The Ed Sullivan Show, a science fiction panel discussion featuring Ray Bradbury and Rod Serling, as well as multiple concerts and dance performances featuring acts from around the world. The Seattle Opera company was founded in 1963 and held its first season in the Opera House in 1964. Pacific Northwest Ballet was founded in 1972 and held its first season in the Opera House in 1973. Seattle Symphony held its final concert in the Opera House on June 30, 1998, and moved to the newly completed Benaroya Hall soon after.[3]
In 1999, voters passed a bond measure to fund another major renovation to the Opera House. The "most dramatic" renovation and expansion of the Opera House began in 2002.[3] Cell phone pioneer Craig McCaw along with his three brothers donated $20 million to help fund construction and as a result the newly renovated building was named Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, after their mother.[4] LMN Architects oversaw the renovation and McCaw Hall opened in late June 2003. The first concert at the renovated venue took place on September 29, 2003.[5]