Marion Oliver McCaw Hall (often abbreviated to McCaw Hall) is a performing arts hall in Seattle, Washington. Located on the grounds of the Seattle Center and owned by the city of Seattle, McCaw Hall's two principal tenants are Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
- Venue
- McCaw Hall
- Address
- 17,800-square-foot public plaza
- Town
- Seattle, US
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall (often abbreviated to McCaw Hall) is a performing arts hall in Seattle, Washington. Located on the grounds of the Seattle Center and owned by the city of Seattle, McCaw Hall's two principal tenants are 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. In 1928, the building originally opened 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. On April 21, 1962, the opening day of the World's Fair, the auditorium reopened as the Seattle Opera House, 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, and multiple concerts and dance performances featuring acts from around the world. In 1963, the Seattle Opera company was founded, holding its first season in the Opera House in 1964. In 1972, the Pacific Northwest Ballet was founded, holding its first season in the Opera House in 1973. On June 30, 1998, the Seattle Symphony held its final concert in the Opera House, moving 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" ren