Powell Symphony Hall

Thousands of lights once sparkled along Grand Avenue’s Theatre District. The most outstanding of the sights were the St. Louis Theatre and Missouri Theatre, six story vertical signs illuminating the evening sky.

The Orpheum Circuit opened the St. Louis Theatre on November 25, 1925 with an Orpheum vaudeville program headed by Singer’s Midgets and the photoplay “Drusilla with a Million” starring Mary Carr on the screen. Inside, the lobby resembled the Palace of Versailles – at least it was architects Rapp and Rapp’s version of a European palace. The mirrored walls reflected ornate white and gold decor. Rows of crystal chandeliers with tiers of candles hung from an ornate plaster ceiling. Flanked by fluted Corinthian columns, two balconies overlook the lobby.

The auditorium is a fairy-tale world of French opulence. Above is a great dome with curved edge rectangles and circles painted with gold leaf. The theatre’s auditorium gives the impression of flowing movement. The balcony rails have small curtains hanging from them and are topped with red velvet.

The St. Louis Theatre had remained true to its namesakes – both the city and the French kin. The stage curtain bears the symbol of the city of St. Louis – the profile of the French king with his sword pointed heavenward astride his horse. The profile comes from the statue in front of the St. Louis Art Museum. Royal crowns adorn the exits, and fleur de lys decorate the walls.

In 1925, the orchestra pit stood below the stage. To the left of the pit was an organ which would rise from the floor. The St. Louis' $50,000 organ, a Kimball 4 manual 19 ranks, was well known. Organist John Wagner helped make the organ famous by playing it on radio station WIL Radio. Because of this, he needed to wear headphones and take his cues from the radio station. He would often have to interrupt his program for commercials. Movie viewers had to put up with broken music and music that did not always conform with what was going on during the movie: Wagner played for the radio listeners' enjoyment. Use of the organ soon became obsolete because of the advent of the talkies.

When wide screen movies became popular, the St. Louis installed a new wide screen to keep up with the competition. Since the organ was no longer needed, a larger stage covered the organ console. Under the stage, the organ became severely damaged. Somehow, water leaked into its main chamber, and vandals ruined some of the pipes. When the theatre was sold to the St. Louis Symphony, its parts were strewn about the floor. The 1,500 pipes ranged from small pencil-sized to tubes to 18-foot tall cylinders weighing about 1,000 pounds. These pipes had allowed the organ to imitate special effects such as the xylophone, drums, a harp, piano and even horses' hooves – no doubt used during westerns. The organ is now in the possession of the American Theatre Organ Society.

The St. Louis Theatre was the second theatre built by the Skouras Brothers; the first was the Missouri Theatre which stood only a block away. They were in the heart of the Theatre District, and were the most popular theatres of their time. Lines often stretched around the block. The St. Louis Theatre provided ample space for its patrons with 4,100 seats. It was much larger than the Missouri Theatre, which was considered one of the nation’s largest at the time it was built in 1921. (The Missouri Theatre seated 3,700).

Appropriately, the last movie to show at the St. Louis Theatre was Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music”, after a long run from 1965-1966.

The theatre closed immediately afterward, but in 1967 restoration work began for use as the new home for St Louis' Symphony Orchestra. A year later, the orchestra performed for the first time in the theatre’s spectacularly restored auditorium, its seating reduced to a more roomier 2,700, and noted for its excellent acoustics.

Another restoration in 1995 brought further beauty to Powell Hall, named for its chief benefactor, a local businessman who donated $1 million towards the theatre’s renovation. Along with the nearby Fox Theatre and Sheldon Memorial Hall, the Powell Symphony Hall is the focal point of St Louis' thriving performing arts district. In April 2024 it was closed for a major renovation and is planned to reopen in 2025.

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