As we approach the three year mark of the last show we performed inside the Jacobs Music Center, I want to share a few thoughts and observations on the current renovation. I have a front row seat to the transformation inside our concert hall as a member of the renovation committee, and on a personal level, I find it fascinating to witness the deconstruction and reconstruction of a building that has been my musical home for many years.
The deconstruction process was impressive to witness firsthand. All materials removed from the hall (dirt, creaky old seats, walls, etc.) were taken out by wheelbarrows. No large machinery ever entered the hall during the teardown. The most striking thing to behold at this point is the difference made by broadening the connection between the stage area and the audience chamber. Removing the top curtain and the material behind it makes the space feel much more unified.
As of my last tour of the construction site, the cement for the stage was poured and the steel supports that will frame the office spaces on stage left and right are starting to take shape. Crew/Production offices and a new library space will be in these new spaces. There will be an elevator connecting all of the floors, which also includes the new musicians’ entrance. The new musicians’ entrance will be located on the upper side of 8th Ave. Additionally, the basement area is mostly framed out, and you can see where the new practice spaces are, as well as new locker rooms and musicians’ lounge.
At this point, we have been told that construction is on schedule for the opening of our season next fall and that the completed renovation will greatly improve the concert experience for musicians and audience members alike. We are all very excited to return to our downtown home and look forward to this new chapter for the San Diego Symphony!