#94: Powell Symphony Hall

Another place on my long list of 'St Louis Places I've Never Been To'. There have been a couple close calls where my church youth group almost saw a symphony. The St. Louis Symphony is one of the Top 5 most popular orchestras in the nation. Founded in 1880, it is also the second-oldest symphony in the United States, behind the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

• Erected in 1925, the building was originally called The St. Louis Theater.
• The St. Louis Theater regularly showed vaudeville-type shows and movies. 
• In the mid-60s, the building underwent several renovations, and re-opened as the new home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1968. The orchestra still regularly performs there.
• It was also renamed Powell Symphony Hall, after St. Louis businessman Walter S. Powell. 
• Powell, who was president of the U.S. Figure Skating Association in the mid-1940s, died in 1961 in a plane crash. His widow donated $1 million towards the hall. 
• Free tours are offered (reservations required)

A mural outside the hall

Side of the building

The cake:

Left side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Powell Hall on FB
Wikipedia link
St. Louis Symphony's Official website

718 N. Grand Blvd., ST. LOUIS, MO, 63101
Cake artist: Earl Miller