The San Francisco Symphony is struggling financially to the point that they are losing their high-profile music director — seemingly because they have to cut programs that are dear to him. But the organization is nonetheless contemplating a major redesign and expansion of Davies Symphony Hall in the coming years.
When we learned in March that conductor and Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen was parting ways with the San Francisco Symphony after his five-year contract is up, the implication was that he wasn't getting what he wanted from the place. The New York Times reported that the rift between Salonen and the symphony's management was over cost-cutting efforts, and perhaps about differing visions for how to spend the symphony's budget.
Despite budget shortfalls and a shrinking subscriber base, the SF Symphony still has a $315 million endowment, and they apparently see brighter days ahead.
As the Chronicle reports, the symphony has released renderings of a planned renovation and expasnion of Davies Symphony Hall that is estimated to cost $100 million, at least. It is the first step in a planning process, submitting designs to the Historic Preservation Commission, before whom symphony leadership will be doing an informational presentation on August 21, with the goal of getting approval for the expansion in the Civic Center historic district.
The redesign of the 1980-constructed hall calls for a new glass-walled ground floor where there is currently a wall of concrete broken up with semi-circular planters. As the Chronicle's John King explains, the main entrance to the building would move to the corner at Grove and Van Ness, diagonally facing City Hall — with the current, decidedly not grand side entrance always having seemed like an afterthought.
The plans also call for a new wing to be built on what's now a surface parking lot on the Franklin Street side where the tents are typically set up for season-opening galas. That wing would house event spaces and a new restaurant.
In between will be a new, elevated outdoor courtyard with a grand staircase up to it from Grove Street, where outdoor performances can be held.
On the Hayes Street side, at Van Ness, a new recital hall will be added, with partially obscured glass walls reminiscent of SF Jazz nearby — also designed by the same architectural firm, Mark Cavagnero Associates.
As this is still in the early stages — though the planning process began almost a year ago — SF Symphony leadership demurs when it comes to talking about timelines and the inevitable capital campaign.
"In the future, we will expand the range of programming and educational initiatives the Symphony can offer,” SF Symphony CEO Matthew Spivey says in a statment, adding "[Our current priority] is to stabilize the organization financially and support our artistic output before embarking on a campaign to support any future renovation projects."
Related: SF Symphony Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen Is Parting Ways With the Orchestra, Possibly Over Finances
