Abravanel Hall Master Plan + Visioning
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ARCHITECTURAL TEAM | John Sparano, Anne Mooney, Nate King, Seth Striefel, Dan Gasser, Mark James, Morgan Bennett, Payton Hutchison, Halle Campbell, Madi Tartaro
ACOUSTICIAN | Kirkegaard
ELECTRICAL | Spectrum Engineers
LANDSCAPE | MBLA
MECHANICAL | VBFA
STRUCTURAL | TBSE Inc.
THEATER PLANNER | Theatre Projects
Maurice Abravanel Hall is an architectural, acoustic and artistic landmark in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Created as part of the 1975 Bicentennial Bond that was approved by contemporary voters, Abravanel Hall opened in 1979 to great renown. Designed by local firm FFKR with acoustics by distinguished acoustician Dr. Cyril Harris, Abravanel Hall is the home of the acclaimed Utah Symphony.
Since its opening, the building programming in the hall has expanded beyond traditional symphony performances. Still serving as the home of the Utah Symphony, it now also functions as a live event space for both acoustic and amplified performances including spoken-word events, pop concerts, films and other events.
In response to the changing landscape of live events, especially post-COVID, and to address pressing facility infrastructure, accessibility, support space design, and evolving systems and technology needs, the County enlisted Sparano + Mooney Architecture in 2023 to update the Abravanel Hall master plan and provide a more complete vision for how the hall can better serve the artists and patrons of the community for the next 50 years. This update builds upon prior planning efforts, consolidating previously-discussed renovations into five functional areas. It also prioritizes accessibility and safety, while ensuring that building systems, maintenance, technology and infrastructure address the new realities of live entertainment in the post-COVID era of the 21st century.
