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“The region's premier performance venue”
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center honors its 10th Anniversary in 2013. The reimagining of this building ten years ago propelled a 73-year-old facility into the 21st Century. Home to Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Opera, the hall has welcomed over 4,000,000 visitors to 5,000-plus events. Now the region’s premier entertainment and events venue offers two state-of-the-art auditoriums, a five-story Grand Lobby and several well-appointed meetings spaces. 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 bondissue; 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. 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. 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. 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. LMN Architects oversaw the renovation and McCaw Hall opened in late June 2003.
We brought the kid for his first exposure to the Nutcracker this holiday season. I like that the parking garage is connected to the hall via a walkway. Ambiance is always so festive. I do wish... Read more
I can here for a wine event and decided it had a very long time since I had been inside. It's definitely had some work done since my last visit. Down in the main floor, it's open and airy.... Read more
We've been to a couple of concerts here and enjoy this venue. It is walking distance from restaurants and bars, so we usually park near them, have dinner, and then go for the show. The venue is... Read more
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Hours
- Sun: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Wed - Sat: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Reservations
- Takes
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Bar
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Brunch
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Dinner
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Drinks
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Waitstaff
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Outdoor Seating
Parking, Dining
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