LOVE THIS TOWN - The Campaign for Town Hall Seattle

FROMSTREETTO STAGE

– Michael Sandel Author and PBS Host, Justice: What’s the Right Thing To Do?

Town Hall is one of the great

gathering places for civic life,

intellectual life, and public

discussion—and we need a lot more

of that in this country, especially right

now. This is a great institution.

FROMSTAGE TO STREET

TH Case Statement COVER V3outside SIDE 1Paper: Couger Smooth 100# Coverink: 4/4folded size: 9.0625 x 12bindery: trim/score/fold glue tab for pocket/business card slits

1119 Eighth AvenueSeattle WA 98101 (206) 652-4255

LOVETHISTOWN.org

Town Hall Seattle(206) 652-4255

LOVETHISTOWN.org

Cover photo: Michael Hanscom. Photo used by permission.

TH Case Statement COVERinside SIDE 2

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TOWN

Photo credits: Town Hall / Steve Dubinsky; Downtown Seattle (bikes) / Nick Falbo; Lake Union Picnic / Scooter Lowrimore; Married in Seattle / City of Seattle; Public Market / Brian Glanz. All photos used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License except Town Hall / Steve Dubinsky, used by permission.

Seattle is a frontier town, a place where

entrepreneurs and activists, artists and

organizers have always been joined by a

sense of restless imagination. We believe

that together we can engineer our future.

It’s in our civic DNA: As a city, we’re forever

leaning forward into possibility, on the edge

of opportunity.

Step in off the street and you can see it in

action right here. For 15 years Town Hall has

been the place to connect over the ideas that

advance us. Ideas expressed on our stages,

discoveries awakened in our audiences—

they emanate from our community and

reverberate back into its life. And we keep

moving forward.

Town Hall is on the edge of an opportunity,

too. The project we lay out in these pages

gives us a moment to define our future

together—in physical space, in the digital

realm, in the community itself. Town Hall

will always trigger dialogue and creativity.

With this project, we guarantee that the

physical connection we depend on as a

community—the place where, together,

we move from possibility to progress—is

sustained for another century.

We should all be proud of what we’ve built.

Town Hall’s an original, just like this latter-

day frontier town. I’m asking you to join

with us now, in this moment of opportunity,

to declare loudly that this place belongs

to all of us.

Wier HarmanExecutive Director




Seattle is a frontier town, a place where

entrepreneurs and activists, artists and

organizers have always been joined by a

sense of restless imagination. We believe

that together we can engineer our future.

It’s in our civic DNA: As a city, we’re forever

leaning forward into possibility, on the edge

of opportunity.

Step in off the street and you can see it in

action right here. For 15 years Town Hall has

been the place to connect over the ideas that

advance us. Ideas expressed on our stages,

discoveries awakened in our audiences—

they emanate from our community and

reverberate back into its life. And we keep

moving forward.

Town Hall is on the edge of an opportunity,

too. The project we lay out in these pages

gives us a moment to define our future

together—in physical space, in the digital

realm, in the community itself. Town Hall

will always trigger dialogue and creativity.

With this project, we guarantee that the

physical connection we depend on as a

community—the place where, together,

we move from possibility to progress—is

sustained for another century.

We should all be proud of what we’ve built.

Town Hall’s an original, just like this latter-

day frontier town. I’m asking you to join

with us now, in this moment of opportunity,

to declare loudly that this place belongs

to all of us.

Wier HarmanExecutive Director

STAGE FOR

THE CITY

We love Town Hall Seattle. If you have

to play live—and I hate playing live—

it’s best to play only at Town Hall

Seattle.

– Stephin Merritt The Magnetic Fields

| Dynamic Partnerships | Town Hall was founded 15 years ago as a collective resource for small and mid-sized organizations that lacked a place to call their own. For our organizational partners, Town Hall offers professional production standards, promotional support, and the opportunity to be part of a dynamic, inclusive calendar of events.

| Putting Rental in Reach | Our spaces are affordable so everyone in the community can take the stage. Over 75 different organizations enliven our stages each year, some with budgets so tight that without Town Hall there would be no viable way to reach their audiences.

| Town Hall (also) Presents | Complementing the work of our organizational partners, Town Hall’s own programs make up about half of the 450 events we offer every year, and represent an eclectic range of civics, science, and arts and culture.

| ‘Small d’ democratic | Just as inexpensive rental rates welcome a range of community voices, we believe the cost of admission should never be a barrier to the exchange of ideas. Most of our events are just $5—and often they’re free. Meanwhile, at peer venues in San Francisco and New York, the same events regularly command fi ve to ten times that price. Regardless of income, virtually anyone can access the ideas and expression presented at Town Hall.

In our 860-seat Great Hall, you might catch cellist Joshua Roman’s

latest discovery, or a rare visit from the eminent biologist E.O. Wilson,

speaking on the meaning of human existence. In our fl exible downstairs

space, a talk on income inequality or octopus intelligence captivates a

sold-out audience, or a Caspar Babypants concert brings families to

their feet.

There is no other place like Town Hall. Not in Seattle, not anywhere. What’s

presented on our stages—robotics to food ethics, poetry slams to chamber

music, even spelling bees and memorial services—is a real-time refl ection

of the curiosity, the creativity, the preoccupations of our community. It’s a

dynamic feedback loop that informs, refl ects and recharges our culture.

Any Given Night

Photo credits: Stained Glass, E. O. Wilson, Joshua Roman / Morgen Schuler; Aisha Tyler / Michael B. Maine; Gold Shoes / Bryan Cox.All photos used by permission.

STAGE FOR

THE CITY

We love Town Hall Seattle. If you have

to play live—and I hate playing live—

it’s best to play only at Town Hall

Seattle.

– Stephin Merritt The Magnetic Fields

| Dynamic Partnerships | Town Hall was founded 15 years ago as a collective resource for small and mid-sized organizations that lacked a place to call their own. For our organizational partners, Town Hall offers professional production standards, promotional support, and the opportunity to be part of a dynamic, inclusive calendar of events.

| Putting Rental in Reach | Our spaces are affordable so everyone in the community can take the stage. Over 75 different organizations enliven our stages each year, some with budgets so tight that without Town Hall there would be no viable way to reach their audiences.

| Town Hall (also) Presents | Complementing the work of our organizational partners, Town Hall’s own programs make up about half of the 450 events we offer every year, and represent an eclectic range of civics, science, and arts and culture.

| ‘Small d’ democratic | Just as inexpensive rental rates welcome a range of community voices, we believe the cost of admission should never be a barrier to the exchange of ideas. Most of our events are just $5—and often they’re free. Meanwhile, at peer venues in San Francisco and New York, the same events regularly command fi ve to ten times that price. Regardless of income, virtually anyone can access the ideas and expression presented at Town Hall.

In our 860-seat Great Hall, you might catch cellist Joshua Roman’s

latest discovery, or a rare visit from the eminent biologist E.O. Wilson,

speaking on the meaning of human existence. In our fl exible downstairs

space, a talk on income inequality or octopus intelligence captivates a

sold-out audience, or a Caspar Babypants concert brings families to

their feet.

There is no other place like Town Hall. Not in Seattle, not anywhere. What’s

presented on our stages—robotics to food ethics, poetry slams to chamber

music, even spelling bees and memorial services—is a real-time refl ection

of the curiosity, the creativity, the preoccupations of our community. It’s a

dynamic feedback loop that informs, refl ects and recharges our culture.

Any Given Night

Photo credits: Stained Glass, E. O. Wilson, Joshua Roman / Morgen Schuler; Aisha Tyler / Michael B. Maine; Gold Shoes / Bryan Cox.All photos used by permission.

CityClub Climate Solutions Code PinkCommunity Alliance for Social justice Community for Youth Conservation Northwest Copper Canyon PressCrosscut’s Community Idea Lab Duwamish Tribal Services Early

Music Guild Earshot Jazz EarthFix El Centro de la Raza Elliott Bay Book

Company Forterra Friends of Cooper Island Futurwise GambiaHELP Grist

Haymarket Books Hedgebrook Historic Seattle Ignite Seattle Intiman

Theatre Festival Junior League of Seattle Kadampa Meditation CenterKCTS 9 King County Mental Health

King/Snohomish Regional Spelling Bee King County Mental Health

King/Snohomish Regional Spelling Bee King County Mental Health

KING-FM KUOW League of Women Voters Lettuce Link Lifelong AIDS

Alliance Linehan Institute LitCrawl LUCO Mercy Corps Mountaineers

Books Museum of Flight NatureBridge Northwest Children’s Fund NW Film Forum One America Pacifi c Science

Center ParentMap PETA Philanthropy Northwest Planned Parenthood Pride

Foundation Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra Queer Youth Resources

Radost Folk Ensemble Rainier Scholars Real Change Richard Hugo

House Seattle Architecture Foundation Seattle Arts & Lectures Seattle

Atheists Seattle Baroque Orchestra Seattle Girls Choir Seattle Jewish

Chorale Seattle Offi ce for Civil Rights Seattle Parks Foundation Seattle

Poetry Slam Seattle ProMusica Seattle Public Library Seattle Radio Theatre

Seattle Tilth Seattle University Seattle Works Seattle Youth Commission

Sightline Institute Simple Measures Slate Sound Discipline Stolen Youth Sustainable Path Foundation Thalia

Symphony

Town MusicGlobal RhythmsCivic SeriesThe Seattle Science LecturesSaturday Family ConcertsShort Stories LiveTown Green Scholars and Artists In ResidenceArts & Culture Series

Town Hall’s Signature Series

Barack Obama Robert Reich Madeleine Albright Gloria SteinemTyson Maria Semple Paul Allen Rachel Maddow Sandra Day O’ConnorCornel West Alice Walker Judy Blume Jordi Savall TC BoyleNick Hornby Patton Oswalt Freeman Dyson Howard SchultzBabypants Oliver Sacks Prometheus Brown Jesmyn Ward

450+Over 450 events take place at Town Hall annually, bringing over 100,000 people through our doors.

Renewing Town Hall is an investment in Seattle’s own irrepressible spirit of inquiry and progress. From day one, that ethos has made us as daring and open-minded as we are savvy and measured. It has guided the city’s vision and set the tone for our conversation. And nowhere is Seattle’s civic conversation richer or more alive than under the iconic dome of Town Hall.

FROM ICONIC PLACE

Gloria Steinem George R.R. Martin Sonia Sotomayor E.O. Wilson Joseph StiglitzJoseph StiglitzSandra Day O’Connor Margaret Atwood George Saunders Brian Greene Brian Greene

TC Boyle Cheryl Strayed Geena Davis Michio Kaku Ray Kurzweil Ann Hamilton Ann Hamilton Howard Schultz Andrew Solomon Dan Savage Nathan Myhrvold Sarah VowellSarah Vowell Jesmyn Ward Kurt Timmermeister Elizabeth Gilbert Donald Fagen Arundhati Roy Arundhati Roy

TO 21ST CENTURY SPACEOn the other side of this project, Town Hall will still be the place where our fast-changing city discovers and defi nes itself—a lab for exploration and change, where ideas hit the street through public consideration and action. But our ability to ask big questions and refl ect the best answers will grow. At a pivotal point in our history, our community will have an ideal platform to explore, express, and export—well beyond Seattle—our most powerful ideas.

75+Town Hall provides low-cost rental rates, production expertise, and marketing support to more than 75 organizations each year.

Town Hall is fi scally strong, with a 53% increase in fi nancial support over the last four years and eight operating surpluses in 10 years.

53%INCREASE

Barack Obama Robert Reich Madeleine Albright Gloria SteinemTyson Maria Semple Paul Allen Rachel Maddow Sandra Day O’ConnorCornel West Alice Walker Judy Blume Jordi Savall TC BoyleNick Hornby Patton Oswalt Freeman Dyson Howard SchultzBabypants Oliver Sacks Prometheus Brown Jesmyn Ward

450+Over 450 events take place at Town Hall annually, bringing over 100,000 people through our doors.

Renewing Town Hall is an investment in Seattle’s own irrepressible spirit of inquiry and progress. From day one, that ethos has made us as daring and open-minded as we are savvy and measured. It has guided the city’s vision and set the tone for our conversation. And nowhere is Seattle’s civic conversation richer or more alive than under the iconic dome of Town Hall.

FROM ICONIC PLACE

Gloria Steinem George R.R. Martin Sonia Sotomayor E.O. Wilson Joseph StiglitzJoseph StiglitzSandra Day O’Connor Margaret Atwood George Saunders Brian Greene Brian Greene

TC Boyle Cheryl Strayed Geena Davis Michio Kaku Ray Kurzweil Ann Hamilton Ann Hamilton Howard Schultz Andrew Solomon Dan Savage Nathan Myhrvold Sarah VowellSarah Vowell Jesmyn Ward Kurt Timmermeister Elizabeth Gilbert Donald Fagen Arundhati Roy Arundhati Roy

TO 21ST CENTURY SPACEOn the other side of this project, Town Hall will still be the place where our fast-changing city discovers and defi nes itself—a lab for exploration and change, where ideas hit the street through public consideration and action. But our ability to ask big questions and refl ect the best answers will grow. At a pivotal point in our history, our community will have an ideal platform to explore, express, and export—well beyond Seattle—our most powerful ideas.

75+Town Hall provides low-cost rental rates, production expertise, and marketing support to more than 75 organizations each year.

Town Hall is fi scally strong, with a 53% increase in fi nancial support over the last four years and eight operating surpluses in 10 years.

53%INCREASE

Gloria Steinem George R.R. Martin Sonia Sotomayor E.O. Wilson Sandra Day O’Connor Margaret Atwood George Saunders Brian Greene

TC Boyle Cheryl Strayed Geena Davis Michio Kaku Ray KurzweilHoward Schultz Andrew Solomon Dan Savage Nathan Myhrvold Jesmyn Ward Kurt Timmermeister Elizabeth Gilbert Donald Fagen

| Sustainability |Town Hall’s preservation is also a signature project in sustainability for our city. It will save money and resources over time and incorporate leading-edge advances in non-toxic building materials. To maximize the future benefi ts of the project, we’ll create a fi rst-of-its-kind handbook for “green” renovations. And as a LEED EBOM Gold-certifi ed facility, we’ll invite audiences and presenters to join us in aggressive energy conservation and waste reduction strategies. Restoring Town Hall embraces the simple point that “the greenest building is the one already built.”

| Preservation |Our building is registered as a City of Seattle and National Historic Landmark—and it will turn 100 years old as restoration begins. We’ve been its stewards as steadily growing demand has stretched its infrastructure. With development dramatically reshaping our city, preserving Town Hall will not only anchor this changing urban landscape, it will guarantee that Seattle’s future thinkers and doers have a home that is both venerable and modern.

Photo credits: Town Hall (background) / WikiMedia Creative Commons; Kokon Taiko Performing on Stage / Seattle Municipal Archives; Town Hall at Night / Jean Sherrard; Town Hall Stage (piano) / Anthony Hopkins; Stained Glass Install / Town Hall Seattle; Downtown (blurred) / Nicola. All photos used by permission except Downtown (blurred) / Nicola, used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.

| Transformation |To preserve Town Hall, we must transform it into a sophisticated performance facility that can deliver the safety, comfort, and production standards required by today’s audiences and performers.

The upgrades will make Town Hall safer and more hospitable. But they’ll also ensure new engagement opportunities for artists, speakers, and audiences. Our redesigned downstairs will be a congenial spot for pre- or post-show drinks, light fare, and dialogue sparked by what’s on stage. With a new technical infrastructure, we will translate live programs to other channels—and reach more audiences through a new “Digital Stage” at Town Hall.

E.O. Wilson Joseph Stiglitz Brian Greene

Ray KurzweilRay KurzweilRay KurzweilRay Kurzweil Ann Hamilton Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Sarah Vowell

Donald FagenDonald FagenDonald FagenDonald Fagen Arundhati Roy

Gloria Steinem George R.R. Martin Sonia Sotomayor E.O. Wilson Sandra Day O’Connor Margaret Atwood George Saunders Brian Greene

TC Boyle Cheryl Strayed Geena Davis Michio Kaku Ray KurzweilHoward Schultz Andrew Solomon Dan Savage Nathan Myhrvold Jesmyn Ward Kurt Timmermeister Elizabeth Gilbert Donald Fagen

| Sustainability |Town Hall’s preservation is also a signature project in sustainability for our city. It will save money and resources over time and incorporate leading-edge advances in non-toxic building materials. To maximize the future benefi ts of the project, we’ll create a fi rst-of-its-kind handbook for “green” renovations. And as a LEED EBOM Gold-certifi ed facility, we’ll invite audiences and presenters to join us in aggressive energy conservation and waste reduction strategies. Restoring Town Hall embraces the simple point that “the greenest building is the one already built.”

| Preservation |Our building is registered as a City of Seattle and National Historic Landmark—and it will turn 100 years old as restoration begins. We’ve been its stewards as steadily growing demand has stretched its infrastructure. With development dramatically reshaping our city, preserving Town Hall will not only anchor this changing urban landscape, it will guarantee that Seattle’s future thinkers and doers have a home that is both venerable and modern.

Photo credits: Town Hall (background) / WikiMedia Creative Commons; Kokon Taiko Performing on Stage / Seattle Municipal Archives; Town Hall at Night / Jean Sherrard; Town Hall Stage (piano) / Anthony Hopkins; Stained Glass Install / Town Hall Seattle; Downtown (blurred) / Nicola. All photos used by permission except Downtown (blurred) / Nicola, used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.

| Transformation |To preserve Town Hall, we must transform it into a sophisticated performance facility that can deliver the safety, comfort, and production standards required by today’s audiences and performers.

The upgrades will make Town Hall safer and more hospitable. But they’ll also ensure new engagement opportunities for artists, speakers, and audiences. Our redesigned downstairs will be a congenial spot for pre- or post-show drinks, light fare, and dialogue sparked by what’s on stage. With a new technical infrastructure, we will translate live programs to other channels—and reach more audiences through a new “Digital Stage” at Town Hall.

E.O. Wilson Joseph Stiglitz Brian Greene

Ray KurzweilRay KurzweilRay KurzweilRay Kurzweil Ann Hamilton Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold Sarah Vowell

Donald FagenDonald FagenDonald FagenDonald Fagen Arundhati Roy

Managed by Point32, designed by architects Weinstein A|U and acousticians Jaffe Holden, and realized by Sellen Construction, the transformation of Town Hall will create a space for Seattleites to gather and connect around issues and ideas.

The building will feature signifi cant acoustic and performance upgrades

New lighting and sound systems Better sound isolation between spaces Improved backstage facilities for performers

Improvements to audio-visual capacity will support more demanding programs

Film screenings Amplifi ed concerts TED-style talks Livestream/broadcast capabilities Structural improvements will protect the building and ensure safety and comfort

New roof with a restored copper dome Seismic stabilization Energy-effi cient heating and cooling systems New restrooms on every level Large, modern elevator Full ADA accessibility A new, downtown-facing front door for Downstairs at Town Hall The addition of the West Lounge, a new lobby-level gathering space

A RENEWED

TOWN HALL

Joseph Stiglitz Al Gore Neil deGrasse Brian Greene Mavis Staples Paul Auster

Ann Hamilton Sherman AlexieSarah Vowell Rebecca Goldstein Caspar

Arundhati Roy Barack Obama

Joseph StiglitzJoseph Stiglitz Brian Greene Brian Greene

Ann Hamilton Ann Hamilton Sarah VowellSarah Vowell

Arundhati Roy Arundhati Roy

TO 21ST CENTURY SPACE

Creativity. Resourcefulness. Deliberation. Action. These civic traits have marked our pioneer town since its founding. And these traits are at the heart of Town Hall, too. In a period of unprecedented growth in Seattle, the space to convene, converse, and collaborate on our shared future is more vital than ever.

Town Hall brings the life of our city to the stage, and ideas from our stages stream out the doors every night as our audiences take to the street.

LOVE THIS

TOWN

It’s a show of love—for this landmark building, for civic participation, for artistic expression, for philosophical and scientifi c inquiry. It’s a show of love for the things that make Seattle special.

Our lasting investment in Town Hall will be a lasting investment in Seattle’s future. Together, let’s give this city the dynamic, evolving experience of community we all need.

LOVETHISTOWN.org

Town Hall is my dream of what a community should be, and can be, and something I wish I had more of in my own life in New York.

– Naomi Wolf Author of The Beauty Myth

Join us in the campaign for Town Hall.

Photo credits: Audience at Hamsaz Ensemble, Cornel West / Morgen Schuler; Gathering Occupy Seattle / Erin Kohlenberg; Proposition 8 Rally / Joe Szilagyi. All photos used by permission except Gathering Occupy Seattle / Erin Kohlenberg & Proposition 8 Rally / Joe Szilagyi, used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.




Photo credit: Matt Taibbi / Morgen Schuler. Photo used by permission.




FROMSTREETTO STAGE








FROMSTAGE TO STREET



LOVETHISTOWN.org


LOVETHISTOWN.org


FROMSTREETTO STAGE








FROMSTAGE TO STREET



LOVETHISTOWN.org


LOVETHISTOWN.org


Documents

LOVE THIS TOWN - The Campaign for Town Hall Seattle