 |
 |
| |
THE SHELDON STAYS IN TUNE
Historic concert hall and modern annex
not only present great performances, but offer an outstanding
facility for business and social events.
By William Poe
For years, the Sheldon has presented great performances in an
intimate and nearly perfect acoustical environment. Now, the
historic concert hall and its newly renovated annex is presenting
outstanding business and social events in keeping with the facility’s
reputation of excellence.
“The Sheldon is one of the most fabulous and growing venues
in the city,” says Ann Ruwitch, retiring president and CEO of
Grand Center, Inc. “The facility brings a tremendous number
of people to the area, and, yet, it’s still growing into a destination
in its own right.”
New $6 million facilities adjacent to the midtown concert hall
at 3648 Washington Blvd. opened fewer than two years ago and
have made the Sheldon a buzzing beehive of activity even when
the concert hall is idle. Approximately 300 annual events of
all sizes and types, including main stage performances, are
now managed by a full-time staff of 15 and fueled by a $2 million
yearly budget, boasts Paul K. Reuter, executive director.
“The keys to the Sheldon are the one-of-a-kind spaces and the
unparalleled flexibility we offer for special events,” Reuter
says. “We can ask the event organizers or party hosts, what
combination of elements they want, and deliver the goods.”
Indeed, where else can you find a historic 702-seat concert
hall and 4,000-square-foot ballroom with its own stage (both
in the original structure) and another 17,000 square feet of
glittering gathering, meeting and dining space in a fresh, exciting
atmosphere unlike any other in St. Louis?
“Nowhere else,” Reuter asserts.
The original concert hall and ballroom, built in 1912, are now
fused by an enclosed bridge to the Emerson Electric Galleries
building, which represents the transformation of what had been
an adjacent three-story parking garage. Inside the annex, visitors
can stroll through five art galleries, mingle in the atrium
lobby bar area; host an up close and personal affair in the
lush Patron’s Lounge, and throw a party for up to 700 (sit-down
dining for 500) in the expansive Louis Spiering Room.
Named in honor of the 1904 World’s Fair architect who designed
the Sheldon, the Spiering Room surprises visitors with spectacular
views of the Central West End and pays homage to the city’s
architectural history with a permanent collection of intricate
terra cotta rescued from the demolished Title Guaranty Building
downtown. Radiating a soothing warmth that belies such a sprawling
space, the Spiering Room opened in September 1999 and now hosts
business meetings, luncheons, receptions and formal dinners.
Culinary delights are provided through a large adjacent catering
kitchen that features a walk-in cooler, ice machine, steamer,
ovens, and other tools in demand by St. Louis caterers.
Those who wish to bask in the aura of the famous and not-so-famous
may receive as many as 40 friends and associates in the Green
Room (served by its own small kitchen) that lurks a few steps
behind the concert hall stage. Lined by bookshelves and punctuated
at the east end with a large fireplace, the Green Room looks
more like the library of a Portland Place mansion than it does
the off-stage refuge for performers.
The Green Room’s has, in fact, wrapped its emerald arms around
the acknowledged greatness of Ernest Hemingway, Dwight Eisenhower
and Albert Einstein, the soaring talent of Dave Brubeck, Cleo
Laine, Jose Carreras and the niche popularity of Leon Redbone
and cowboy band Sons of the San Joaquin.
Live performances by musicians and speakers are, of course,
the main reason for being of the Sheldon. Recognized by touring
artists as one of the 10 top performance halls in America, the
Sheldon is considered to be a nearly perfect music box.
Wide at the beam and shallow in depth, the Sheldon appears austere
from the stage. Bare wooden seat backs sculpted from fir have
never met the upholsterer’s fabric needle and the simple wooden
floor, also planked in fir, is untrampled by carpet. Red oak
clads portions of the stage, and little relief is afforded by
the plain white plaster that coats other walls.
To the eye, the Sheldon’s spartan late-Edwardian features wear
as plain as the functional winter coat of the Amish. But it’s
the ear that takes a fancy at the first nick of the perfect
note, the tug of a tapping foot against the stage floor or the
ripple of running fingers across the frets. One performer,
soprano Lesley Garrett, remarked that “singing at the Sheldon
is like performing in the middle of a Stradivarius,” which is
also crafted from wood.
Reuter, who books concert hall talent, says that all of the
hardwoods and plaster enhance sound. Not easily discerned by
the hall patron, he adds, are the non-parallel walls, the air-filled
cavity below the stage and the slate mounted behind the oak
panels.
Although the Sheldon does not rely on amplifiers and speakers
for sound production for many artists, the concert hall is equipped
with a sophisticated lighting and cueing system and offers tangles
of recording and output gear for performers who want it. In
addition, the Sheldon is hard-wired to KETC Channel 9, now housed
nearby, for the latest video, live broadcast and uplink capabilities.
Because the concert hall is acoustically insulated from the
Spiering Room, the Galleries Building can host a business seminar
or wedding reception while the main hall is in use, Reuter says,
or integrate functions among the concert hall, galleries and
reception areas.
“Some companies have rented the entire facility to conduct business,
present a private concert and host a post-performance reception,”
Reuter says.
William V. Poe is principal of Poe Communications, a St.
Louis advertising and marketing communications firm.
|
|
|
|
|
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
