Guests to the reopening of The Sheldon Concert Hall & Galleries were greeted with the smell of fresh paint and beaming Sheldon staff Wednesday morning as the Grand Center arts space welcomed its first guests since it closed its doors for renovations at the end of May.
The $11-million renovation, which saw both major and minor improvements to the lobby, box office, art gallery, and concert hall, in addition to all-new amenities, came in on time and under budget, just in time to welcome a sold-out crowd to the Concert Hall for a performance from folk-rock pioneer Roger McGuinn on October 1.
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“It’s exciting for us, but honestly a little scary at the same time,” says Sheldon executive director Peter Palermo about finally welcoming audiences into the updated space. “The word’s going to get out right away that this is a transformed space and ready for business. I’m excited to welcome visitors.”
Those visitors will be greeted with a chic, updated space that flows seamlessly from area to area. A grand staircase next to the box office—now open during normal business hours for walk-in ticket sales—leads up to the redesigned Neidorff Family Gallery. The airy space currently sits empty, but it will soon be a highlight of Grand Reopening festivities at The Sheldon. We Each Hold Stories, a collection of contemporary works by Indigenous-American artists, opens November 7 alongside a concert featuring Goldpine & The Burney Sisters.
“We wanted people to walk in the door and see the beautiful space, but also see the stairs and immediately be like, Oh, I’m supposed to go up,” Palermo says. “You see the gallery in front of you, the beautiful bar, it’s all part of it.”
A loop around the gallery leads visitors back out to the new Berges Family Foundation Bar and plenty of seating for post-gallery or pre-concert chats. Cocktail parties and receptions are surely in the space’s near future. An intimate space near the walkway to the Concert Hall, the Karen and Mont Levy Lounge, offers a fashionable place to sip drinks or snap selfies.
Just one minor update was made to the Concert Hall itself—new carpet lines the entryway and the performance space itself.
“We didn’t touch any of the hall because the acoustics are perfect, and even if you switch out the seats, it disrupts the acoustics of the whole place,” says Cary Goldwasser, director of marketing and communications at The Sheldon. “So the only thing we did was replace the carpet…just a little refresh.”
Outside, a new marquee in a pattern that mimics the feel of the Concert Hall’s large stage-side grates beckons visitors from the street with rainbow colors. The overall effect is of a space ready to be a vibrant part of the Grand Center community, to be noticed and appreciated alongside the bright lights of its many neighbors.
READ MORE: Patricia Racette debuts her one-woman show at The Sheldon on October 9
Palermo describes the renovation project, which has been underway in phases for the past four years, as a bit like the classic “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality.
“You know, the Pulitzer is a world-class architectural and curatorial wonder. The symphony had their huge Powell Hall improvement that’s glorious,” Palermo says. “We wanted to be part of it. We’re excited about it.”
“[Palermo] and I were talking about it a bit yesterday, that sometimes it’s a little bit overwhelming to be stewards of this historic space, but his thing is ‘leave it better than you found it,’” Goldwasser says. Once a parking garage, reborn as a venue and arts space, and now given new life once again as of the jewels in Grand Center’s collection of cultural hubs, it seems The Sheldon and its stewards are meeting that brief.
