Visit Severance Hall
Thanks to the kind folks at The Cleveland Orchestra, we got a detailed history of Severance Hall on our last visit!
Severance Hall is full of history, this building was built in 1931! The building is named for John L. Severance and his wife, Elisabeth, who initially pledged $1 million for its construction. Elisabeth died unexpectedly early in the design process, and as was noted throughout our tour, her influence lives throughout the building. This includes a ton of lotus flowers seen throughout the building.
When you arrive, you can park directly next to the building and don’t even have to travel outside to get in to the space. We enjoyed a great Manhattan in The Opus lounge pre-show, and we’d recommend doing the same! After enjoying our cocktail, we walked into the main gathering space, located beneath the concert hall. This space was once a driveaway for guests to be dropped off and picked up, but was converted to its current state in 2000 (by way of restaurant in 1970). This old phone still exists in the wall as a tribute to the space’s past.
The details throughout the space and into the concert hall are truly gorgeous and we had a great time just experiencing all of the individual details.
Our seats were in the Dress Circle and we would 100% recommend grabbing tickets in this section. We had a birds-eye view of the stage and could watch each of the musicians play their instruments. I enjoyed watching the violins the most, but each section is beautiful. Although, as our guide told us, there are no bad seats in the house - the sound is amazing no matter where you sit. (Press are only able to take photos from the floor level during the show - hence our floor level photos)
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a great night out in Cleveland we highly recommend attending a concert at Severance Hall. You also have a chance to experience the Orchestra in the summer at Blossom.
Of note:
Free public tours of Severance Hall are offered on specific dates.
Reservations are required; call the Ticket Office at 216-231-1111
