POWELL HALL AND JACK C. TAYLOR MUSIC CENTER

718 N Grand Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63103
314-534-1700

Tour is $10.00.  There is free street parking and also a $20 lot. 

https://slso.org/

Built in 1925.  Became home for St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1968.

Sitting on Grand Avenue in the old theater district, this building was built in 1925 for vaudeville and grand movies and was called St. Louis Theater for 40 years. In 1966 the Symphony Society acquired the building for $500,000 and spent  an additional $2 million to update and renovate the theater. It re-opened in January 1968 as the new home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the 2nd oldest professional symphony orchestra in the United States. Today it is part of the Midtown Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places and the Grand Center Arts District. 

It still serves as the orchestra's home but in 2023-25 it was greatly renovated and a new wing was added.  The addition is called the Jack C. Taylor Music Center. This serves as one of the new modern entrances.

The tour starts in the three-story lobby of the new wing. This new spacious lobby is a great addition for people to gather as it is considerably larger than the original lobby.  

Those touring are broken into groups of 8-12 with a volunteer guide. 

This picture was taken from above looking down into the lobby.  The outside exit doors are seen in the middle. The winding staircase can be seen in the back right. 

On the far wall of the lobby can be seen 24 colored circles.  This fabric sculpture was created by Sheila Hicks, a renowned American artist living in Paris. The art work goes from the three-story ceiling almost to the floor. 

Red threads in the sculpture came from the old red curtains that adorned the original building. 

This picture was taken looking up to the top of the three-story addition. 

On the second level is an area for gathering and having refreshments. There are several bars in the new facility for people to gather before and after the performance as well as during the intermission. 

There is also a lounge available for major givers when present for performances. It is used for meetings and small events at other times. Looking out the window one can see the Arch. 

The Box Office is also on this level. 

This wonderful room is multi-purposed but largely used for educational purposes and for rehearsals for the Youth Symphony and the two choruses associated with orchestra. It is also used for fundraisers and special events.

They asked and they got it - a lounge for the orchestra members but not to be used by the conductor!  The large screen prompter over the bar broadcasts the performances live so if a musician sits out a particular number they can follow the concert and know when to get back on stage! 

And of course they each have their own cup cubby! 

We toured by a number of other rooms including dressing rooms, a music library, practice spaces, recording rooms, etc. We also saw wonderful new safe instrument storage cubbies and lockers.

There is a new backstage, something that didn't really exist before, that opens up new possibilities. 

And then you are in the original building walking onto the stage and looking out to the concert hall! With the renovation which included all new seats, the hall holds 2150 attendees. 

The ceiling is the original theater ceiling with the difference being that the light bulbs are now all LED. 

All the gold leaf ornamentations are original.

The stage as well as the side walls of the hall have been updated to help with the disbursement of sound. Powell Hall has always been known for its excellent acoustics which are even better with the renovations.

This is the ceiling of the stage as seen from the front row seating. 

Even the decorative lights in the concert hall are original except for the LED bulbs!

Everything is this beautiful lobby is original including the staircase and the crystal chandeliers. Here one can see how this building was inspired by the Palace of Versailles.

 The mirrors on the far wall are original. 

This is the view looking towards the concert hall from the lobby.

This is an original motif that is seen multiple times in the lobby. 

This musical motif, again seen many times, was part of the original theater before it became a music venue! 

There are also gold leaf designs all over the ceiling.  When the theater was built in 1925, all the available gold leaf in the United States that year was used to decorate this building's interior. 

There are many chandeliers in the lobby including these that are attached to the walls... 

and held up by gold cherubs.

...and these wedding cake chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. 

In a balcony overlooking the lobby is the Met Bar.  The marble entryway includes a keyboard. 

The long wooden bar came from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City when the building was turned into a concert hall in 1968. Thus the name of the balcony room! 

This ornate chandelier hangs in this bar. 

The ceiling around the chandelier includes royal faces. 

When the new wing was added included in the changes was the addition of outside landscaped gathering places. 

The St. Louis Symphony is offering tours of their new addition as well as the renovations of the old existing Powell Hall. Tours are $10 and currently are being offered on designated Tuesday and Saturday mornings. They are scheduled to last 75 minutes but ours actually lasted about 100 minutes. To register to go on a tour one must go online to the orchestra's website and sign up.  

Everyone in my group very much enjoyed the tour.  This was true for the musicians as well as the non-musicians. Our guide was very informative and happy to answer all questions, consequently we learned a lot.  The new and the old architecture were both very interesting and attractive. What we learned about an orchestra member's day at work was very informative. We also saw modern-day technology uses which was fascinating.  

Because we went on a Saturday in the summer the building was less occupied than a Tuesday and also than during the performance season.  For example we did not see the music library because the librarian doesn't work on Saturday. I can see advantages in going on a weekday if possible.  During the season there could be some restrictions if the orchestra is present and practicing.  

You are on your feet for most of the tour.  There were about three times when we were able to sit (if we wished) to listen to our guide. Whenever we changed levels we had the choice of taking an elevator or using the stairs. 

Audubon Center at Riverlands

3013 Riverlands Way
West Alton, Missouri 63386
636-899-0090

Free admission and free parking in multiple lots

https://www.audubon.org/riverlands  

Opened in 2011

This center is part of a network of thirty-three Audubon Centers in the USA. It is located in the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, which consists of 3700 acres on the Mississippi River near the confluence with the Missouri River.  

The center's mission is to "to connect people to the beauty and significance of the Mississippi River and the Great Rivers confluence, to inspire conservation of the river’s rich diversity in birds, wildlife and other natural resources, and to support healthy, vibrant communities."

Inside the building are a number of displays about birds and other wildlife found in the area. 

The back of the room is mostly glass allowing visitors to look out and observe birds from inside.  You can see the windows looking out towards water on both sides of this duck display below. They have telescopes set up allowing you to see eagles from the building.  

Facing the windows are several benches with wonderful quotes on their backs. 

There are more than 8.5 miles of trails through the Riverlands. They go through prairies, marshes and bottomland forest habitats. This trail goes by the water. 

This view looking towards the locks and dam was from a viewing platform.

And then there are the birds! 60% of all North American birds and 40% of the nation's waterfowl find food, shelter, and safe passage here. Each season brings different species with a total of 300+ species coming through here annually. 

Unfortunately, we were too late to see the 1600 trumpeter swans that were at the Audubon Center two weeks prior to our late February visit. But we did see eagles and a pelican.

We also visited one of the two large bird blinds in the sanctuary. The Avis Spiralis or "spiral-bird" is a one-of-a-kind bird blind and observatory. It sits 20 feet tall.

It was designed and largely built by a professor at Washington University and was dedicated in October 2025. About 85% of the concrete used was made with locally sourced material such as sand from the Mississippi River.

The observatory overlooks Heron Pond, the best wetland area in the sanctuary for observing birds. 

When we left the Audubon Center we drove 30 minutes to Pere Marquette State Park north of Grafton, Illinois, where we spent the night in the lodge after enjoying their well-known family-style fried chicken dinner. 

In the morning we went into the Visitors Center to hear a talk on eagles and for a quick tour of the displays which included animals, murals, and other typical museum items.

We then took off caravan-style on a six-hour eagle hunting expedition with a wonderful guide who has been doing this for many years and knows where to look.  Unfortunately, we did not see many eagles on this late date but it was a great experience.  And we learned a so much about eagles. 

We also saw trumpeter swans and Canadian geese. 

And we ate lunch by the Joe Page bridge in Hardin, IL, the bridge with the largest lift span in the world.

And we got to see the lift go up!

The eagle tour which is only held certain days January-early March, was a great experience. We even rode the vehicle ferry twice!

Comments: We highly recommend both the Audubon Center and the Pere Marquette eagle tour - both are free! I hope to return to see the Audubon Center sanctuary in different seasons when it draws different birds. 

The eagle tour was excellent helped by a blue sky and fairly decent weather.  I do feel like we went maybe too late in the season and would recommend going in January or early February.