The Sheldon Concert Hall Undertaking $11M Renovation Project
Date Posted: April 29, 2025
Posted In: News, Projects,
From St. Louis Business Journal: The Sheldon Concert Hall is undergoing renovations that will add a new lobby, improvements to its art galleries and a new look from the street.
Construction started in January with the project part of an $11 million master plan for the Sheldon, which houses a concert hall and art galleries at 3648 Washington Ave. in the city’s Covenant Blu Grand Center neighborhood. The renovations are the biggest project undertaken at The Sheldon since it added its annex building, a former parking garage, in a project completed in 2001, said Peter Palermo, executive director of the Sheldon.
The Sheldon, operated by the nonprofit Sheldon Arts Foundation, hosts more than 350 events annually through its 712-seat concert hall, art galleries and private events. It draws about 100,000 visitors per year, along with 30,000 students through school field trips, according to the venue.
The renovations are designed to improve the Sheldon’s visitor experience and make the venue’s amenities match its “world-class” concert hall, Palermo said. Visitors will see changes immediately upon entering the venue, with much of the project focused on the Sheldon’s entryway and lobby. The entryway is being expanded, with a new staircase leading to the facility’s second floor lobby where a new bar is being added. Construction crews cut a 10-by-20-foot hole into the second story floor to make way for the new staircase. The hole was made by cutting one-foot squares of concrete, Palermo said.
“They took it out a chunk at a time,” he said. “It made the whole building shake.”