The city block where the US Bank Center sits (5th and 6th Avenue, between Pike and Union Street) has been home to entertainment and performing arts halls zoned for assembly for nearly a century. The Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS) will be moving its headquarters in 2028, exactly 100 years after the Music Box Theatre opened on that block in 1928, the company announced this week.

The buildout for the proposed Center for Chamber Music, including a 271-seat concert hall, will launch next winter with completion expected by early 2028. The lease is for 15 years, plus two five-year options for the SCMS. The new performance hall will be SCMS’ primary venue. The organization said it will continue to perform at Benaroya Hall and Town Hall.

“Having performed chamber music in venues all over the world, I am thrilled for the possibilities this new Center will offer Seattle Chamber Music Society,” SCMS violinist and Artistic Director James Ehnes said in a statement. “Acoustically and visually exceptional, it will be a true home for intimate, unamplified music. When musicians think about where they most want to perform chamber music, and when audiences think about where they most want to hear it, Seattle will be at the top of that list.”

The SCMS is in the throes of a $25 million fundraising campaign to fund the buildout of the new headquarters. The fundraising goal includes $5 million that will be earmarked for the company’s endowment fund.

The design team for the new Center for Chamber Music includes architect Joseph Herrin (Heliotrope Architects), acoustician Joseph W. A. Myers (Kirkegaard), theatre consultant Adam Shalleck (The Shalleck Collaborative), and mechanical engineer Anne Marie Moellenberndt (ARUP). The contractor for the project is Sellen Construction.

The new headquarters and performance hall will be on the southwest corner of the Pike Street and 6th Avenue intersection, directly across the street from the organization’s current office. The plans for the new hall also signal a commitment to chamber music with a dedicated space built for the acoustics and aesthetics of the genre.

“There are very few rooms purposely built for chamber music,” said John Holloway, SCMS CEO. “I feel like (SCMS Artistic Director) James (Ehnes) deserves it, our musicians deserve it, our staff deserves it, our audiences deserve it, our city deserves it.

“Most concert halls ask chamber music to adapt to the room. This hall is being designed around chamber music itself. Every decision—from the acoustics and sightlines to the audience amenities and artist spaces—is centered on creating what we believe will be one of the finest chamber music experiences anywhere in the world. This Center is an investment in artistic excellence, in downtown Seattle, and in ensuring that our city remains an international destination for chamber music for generations to come.”

The SCMS’ commitment to a long-term lease comes at a time when downtown Seattle real estate and corporate leaders are grappling with waning occupancy and consumer traffic. Holloway says the arts can be a driver to energize the downtown retail core.

“It is an incredible time to invest in the city,” Holloway said. “It is an important time to repurpose buildings. I am really excited. You have a great symphony, you have great theaters, you have a great chamber group, Benaroya Hall is going through a renovation, you have (the Seattle Art Museum) right there. We are surrounded by The 5th Avenue Theatre and (Union Arts Center).”

The new hall and headquarters is the latest move in the ambitious growth of SCMS’s since Holloway was hired as executive director in 2021 and eventually promoted to the newly created CEO post earlier this year.

According to a statement by the company, “During Holloway’s tenure, the organization has expanded to present performances year-round, and redefined its performance settings, extending concerts beyond Benaroya Hall to parks, hospitals, assisted living communities, and in communities across the U.S. SCMS has improved and broadened its virtual reach through SCMS Virtual Concert Hall, a concert streaming platform that recreates the energy of a live performance through six HD camera angles and crystal-clear audio, so that SCMS may present world-class concerts and events to music lovers from around the globe.”

During his tenure, SCMS has also launched The Concert Truck and the String Quartet in Residence program, which has expanded the reach of the company to audiences beyond the halls where they usually perform.