Denver is exploring the possibility of building a new hall to replace the mediocre-at-best Boettcher Concert Hall. As I read the article published today in the Denver Post – I noticed some similarities to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall:
The shortcomings of the 29-year-old facility in the Denver Performing Arts Complex are many and varied, starting with inferior acoustics, which dampen and even distort the sound emanating from the stage.
More tangible are the building’s physical limitations, ranging from a cramped, unattractive lobby with too few restrooms to limited, ill-suited backstage spaces for musicians, technicians and visiting performers.
Although many of these problems emerged in the years immediately following the hall’s opening in 1978, it was not until 2004 that the Division of Theatres & Arenas began to publicly air the possibility of a complete overhaul.
While the hall in Denver was new construction, not an overhaul of an existing structure as in Portland, the amount of time the orchestra has been in the hall is about the same. Also similar: inferior acoustics, poor facilities for audience and orchestra as well as for other kinds of presentations such as dance, theater and rock shows.
We here in Portland are famous for taking on unique solutions to our problems (with sometimes unique results) – why not put together a high-profile initiative campaign to build a purpose-built hall for the symphony, say in the South Waterfront district? We’ll see what happens with the mayor’s race, but I think an idea like this could get some serious traction with Sam Adams in the hot seat…