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159 Western Avenue West, Suite 486
Seattle, Washington 98119
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Town Hall Seattle, exterior
Town Hall Seattle
hosting more than 400 events annually, the not-for-profit Town Hall Seattle was established in this building in 1997
Historic Photo of Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
the Seattle Landmark building was built in 1916-22 as a Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist
Great Hall, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
a multi-functional acoustic reflector array above the stage improves performance acoustics and houses stage lights, AV equipment, rigging, a deployable backdrop, and a movie screen
Great Hall, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
the impressive volume, expansive stained glass, and historic pew seating of the Great Hall were all elements Town Hall Seattle wished to highlight with the building’s renovation
Main Lobby, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
the landmark lobby provides flexible arrangements for ticketing, queuing, event merchandising, and book sales
Non-gendered restrooms, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
new non-gendered restroom facility at the lobby level serves patrons during intermissions with equity and efficiency
Reading Room, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
the former church’s decommissioned pipe organ provided wood for art and custom furniture in the reading room; a space created from Town Hall’s former staff area
West Lobby, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
a new entry opening through the west wall creates a light-filled lobby to the downstairs Forum venue
The Forum, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
the flexible space of the Forum includes movable seating, lighting, and theatrics to provide multiple performance and event options
The Otto Cafe and Bar, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
a café and bar within the Forum support pre and post function gathering and discussion
Modern interventions for historic architecture, Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle
throughout the space, historic elements are brought up to current code with careful modern interventions

Location Seattle, WA

Client Town Hall Seattle

Awards Historic Seattle Exemplary Stewardship Award, 2020

Town Hall Seattle

This project is the renovation and adaptive reuse of a large Christian Science Church, built in 1916-22 in the Classical Revival style. The project transforms the historic church building from its nearly original condition into a state-of-the-art, multi-venue center for performing arts, lectures, and culture, serving the greater Seattle region.

Town Hall Seattle is a not-for-profit civic and cultural organization that presents over 425 public events a year with a range of programming that spans the arts, politics, and the sciences. The mission of Town Hall Seattle is to provide access and expression to everyone, which is achieved through “radically affordable” tickets and rental rates, in-house staging and production, and a deep commitment to representing the full range of voices, ideas, and creativity present in our communities.

The project design includes a seismic retrofit, all new HVAC, electrical, lighting, acoustic, and theatrical systems, a new and expansive non-gendered restroom facility, new green rooms, and a completely re-envisioned lower-level public venue with a new entrance oriented to downtown Seattle. The design also brought the building into compliance with current building codes including structural, accessibility, energy performance, and life safety.

The building is a Seattle Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is beloved by patrons and the larger community. Therefore, the design was carefully considered and obsessively detailed to have minimal impact on the historic architecture. This required intensive coordination and extremely tight construction tolerances. The historic preservation work included restoration of the terra cotta façade, rehabilitation of the monumental stained-glass windows, and repair and reconstruction of interior architectural finishes.

With this project, Town Hall Seattle is able to reach greater audiences and expand its mission of inclusion, inspiration, and engagement, to the greater Seattle community.

A BuildingWork/Weinstein AU project. Matt Aalfs: Design Principal; Kate Weiland: Project Manager/Project Architect. Photos © Ben Benschneider.