Builds upon earlier Jones Hall renovation work to improve patron and performer experiences through acoustics and infrastructure enhancements, Green Room and more
HOUSTON, September 3, 2024 – The Foundation for Jones Hall (FJH) is completing 2024 renovations for Jones Hall, part of a multi-year, $60 million project for transforming Houston’s iconic performing arts center focused on significantly improving patron, musician and artist experiences. This renewal is designed to bring the building up to the highest standards in technology and operations, while incorporating modern amenities. To date $51,750,000 has been raised.
Jones Hall, which opened in downtown Houston in 1966 and is today managed by Houston First Corporation, is home to both the world-renowned Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston, which presents internationally acclaimed artists across the performing arts spectrum. Both organizations have unique performance needs that have evolved and grown in the last century, particularly for acoustics and amplification.
“The dream of a newly imagined Jones Hall is coming to fruition, as we wrap up year four of a five-year renovation plan, which will cement its reputation as one of the finest performing halls in the world,” says Chuck Davidson, Foundation for Jones Hall Building Committee Chair and lead donor, with wife Nancy Davidson, to the campaign. “The changes and upgrades to this historic hall are truly transformative for performers and patrons. This is a beautiful gift to our community.”
In 2024, the Foundation for Jones Hall will finish the acoustic upgrades, which are of paramount importance in a multi-use performance hall. The installation of the new forestage reflector, the final acoustic piece, will be a game changer for both performers and audiences. The reflector is located above the downstage area, reinforcing sound from the violins, cellos, basses, and soloists during Houston Symphony performances. Acoustic reflectors provide clarity in large venues by evenly dispersing sound and controlling late reflections.
The lighting and sound networks throughout the Hall have been completely replaced and modernized, with additional work happening in 2024. This includes a new fiber optic backbone, consoles, fixtures and speakers.
“Our musicians have experienced a significant improvement in the acoustics on stage, and our audiences have been effusive in their praise of the transformation of the sound in the Hall,” says John Mangum, Houston Symphony Executive Director and CEO. “The reimagining of Jones Hall will have a lasting impact for the Symphony and provide a greatly improved experience for our audiences, one defined by a new-found immediacy, impact, and presence of orchestral sound that has to be heard to be believed.”
All of the stage automation has been replaced with modern control systems, finished in 2024. This includes orchestra pits, overhead line systems, and the orchestra shell ceilings. As with the lighting and sound networks, the new systems have been updated with digital technology. They are now all controlled by the same interface instead of everything being on separate control systems.
“Performing Arts Houston presents so many artists and artistic disciplines in Jones Hall, and the updates to lighting, acoustics, and the overall theater-going experience will ensure our visiting artists are able to realize their full artistic visions for Houston audiences,” says Meg Booth, Performing Arts Houston President & CEO. “We’re grateful for all those involved with the renovation and are looking forward to raising the curtain on a new era of Jones Hall.”
One of the most visible improvements in the Hall is the expansion/enhancement of the Green Room for performers and donors. The new space is almost completed, with the final wall treatments installed. The new finishes include perforated wall paneling to preserve the style of the room but soften the acoustics to keep the space at a comfortable volume level. Designed by Ennead architects, the Green Room is meant to honor the mid-century modern style of the building.
The Jones Hall lobby has been completely redesigned and reconfigured to create more spaces and reduce “pinch points.” Finishing touches this year include new carpet and lobby lighting, which is a Houston First effort.
Finally, summer 2025 will see a full renovation of the Texas Avenue loading dock and entrance for ADA access, including a ramp for patrons with mobility limitations. Additionally, dressing rooms will be refurbished in 2025.
“Jones Hall has always been a Houston treasure, but this renovation project is taking it to the next level of the world’s great performance halls,” says Barbara McCelvey, Executive Committee Member of the Houston Symphony Board of Trustees and FJH Board Chair. “The Houston Symphony is thrilled about the modernization, infrastructure and acoustic upgrades, along with the aesthetics. Feedback from musicians and performers has been overwhelmingly positive.”
“As the operator of Jones Hall, Houston First is proud to partner with the Foundation for Jones Hall in this important project to protect a landmark building and it’s place in the local performing arts community,” says Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First. “The scope of the multi-year project has been vast, and we are very pleased with the work completed so far to significantly elevate the technology, acoustics and infrastructure of Jones Hall.”
The beginning of the 2023–24 Season saw new seats in the auditorium, a new orchestra shell, and a sizeable increase to the number of bathroom facilities on the Hall’s courtyard level. Access has been improved, with a new, wider staircase that goes directly from the Louisiana Street lobby to the courtyard men’s and women’s lounges.
With a lead gift provided by Nancy and Chuck Davidson, the campaign has also received strong support from a variety of sources, including Margaret Alkek Williams, The Brown Foundation, Janice H. Barrow, the Shirley and David Toomin family, The Wortham Foundation, ConocoPhillips, The Elkins Foundation, the Cullen Trust for Performing Arts, Houston Endowment, Janet F. Clark, the Cullen Foundation, and the City of Houston/Houston First Corporation, among others.
In October, the Foundation will invite the public to participate in the campaign by launching a “take a seat” campaign, enabling individuals to sponsor and dedicate the new seats in Jones Hall.
In making her gift to the Foundation for Jones Hall, Margaret Alkek Williams, a long-time supporter of the arts in Houston, notes that Jones Hall is a treasured icon of our city, and the performing arts in Houston are near and dear to her heart. “Attending hundreds of extraordinary performances over the years at Jones Hall by the Houston Symphony, Performing Arts Houston, and others, has brought me great joy. It is important to me to give back to our community. I’m excited to help ensure that generations to come will enjoy this Houston jewel as much as I have.”
In 2026, Jones Hall will be better than ever when it celebrates its 60th anniversary, a world-class venue for the Houston Symphony, Performing Arts Houston, the City of Houston and patrons to enjoy.
The design and consulting teams for Jones Hall include Ennead, Studio Red Architects, Apeiro Design (theater consultant), Threshold Acoustics, Walter P. Moore (structural engineers), Collaborative Engineering Group (MEP engineers), Bellows Construction, Forney Construction (project management) and the Building Committee of the FJH Board.
Link to high resolution photos here
Link to web resolution photos here
Photo credit: Melissa Taylor
Jones Hall historical images here
Photo credit: Courtesy of Foundation for Jones Hall
History of Jones Hall
Jones Hall, the vision of businessman Jesse Holman Jones, was the first purpose-built performing arts facility in Houston, given to the City by the Houston Endowment and dedicated in 1966 as home to the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera and Performing Arts Houston. It is owned by the City of Houston and managed by the Houston First Corporation, with Foundation for Jones Hall managing backstage operations. The original cost was $7.4 million.
Designed by then-Houston firm Caudill Rowlett Scott in the formalism style, the architecture was radically new and has stood the test of time, with numerous awards received over the years. Jones Hall’s design has been praised as “ingenious and stunning.”
The architects faced the challenge of building an enormous concert hall on a small downtown block. Rather than aligning the entrance, lobby and performance hall, the designers placed the auditorium diagonally and wrapped the lobby around it. High above the lobby is sculptor Richard Lippold’s “Gemini II,” a gossamer web of aluminum and wire commissioned by Houston Endowment.
Both modern and classical, with sheer walls of marble and eight-story columns, Jones Hall won the national American Institute of Architects’ Honor Award one year after opening. With some 800 adjustable acoustic pods attached to the concert hall ceiling, the hall was billed as having the most advanced sound technology of its era.
However, the original acoustical technology, while advanced at the time of opening, needs modernization, according to engineers, acousticians and musicians. The new state-of-the-art renovations should resolve the acoustics concerns.
For more information about Jones Hall, please go to https://www.visithoustontexas.com/theater/venues/jones-hall/.
About Foundation for Jones Hall
When the Opera and the Ballet moved out of Jones Hall, the Foundation for Jones Hall (FJH) was established in 1986 as a partnership between the Houston Symphony and SPA to protect the quality of the Hall over the long term. The mission of FJH is to ensure the ongoing excellence of Jones Hall as a performing arts venue for all the citizens of Houston.
Following a major renovation of the Hall between 1991 and 1993, FJH has also managed backstage operations in the Hall. It has raised and invested millions to improve Jones Hall over time and is leading the current multi-year (2021-2025) renovation project as well. The Foundation is governed by a board comprised of Symphony and SPA representatives. It is led by Executive Director Robert Eubanks, supported by a backstage team and with administrative and fundraising support provided by the nonprofit consulting firm Sterling.
About the Houston Symphony
Under Music Director Juraj Valčuha, the Houston Symphony continues its second century inspiring and engaging a large and diverse audience in Houston and beyond through exceptional musical performances and creating enduring impact in the Houston community. One of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, the Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an operating budget of $40.7 million, the full-time ensemble of professional musicians presents more than 130 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Traditionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s Community-Embedded Musicians also offer more than 600 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, senior centers, and churches, annually reaching nearly 200,000 people in Greater Houston in addition to Jones Hall.
After suspending concert activities in March 2020, the Symphony successfully completed a full 2020–21 season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams of each performance, making it one of the only orchestras in the world to do so. The Houston Symphony remains committed to livestreaming its 2024-25 Season to a broad audience in over forty-five countries and all 50 states, one of few American orchestras dedicated to transmitting live performances to a sizeable audience outside its home city through this technology. The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, Virgin Classics, and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category. The Symphony’s most recent recordings include a Pentatone release in January 2022 of its world premiere performances of Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra, and a Naxos release in July 2023 of its world premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel.
About Performing Arts Houston
Performing Arts Houston is a leading non-profit performing arts presenter dedicated to connecting audiences with exceptional artists from around the globe. Founded in 1966, the organization remains committed to advancing artistic innovation, community engagement, and cultural enrichment. With a legacy spanning over five decades, Performing Arts Houston has presented many of the most influential artists of our time.
Each year, Performing Arts Houston, under the direction of CEO Meg Booth, presents a multi-disciplinary season of over 60 performances across Houston’s historic Theater District and venues citywide and creates a wide range of programs and opportunities for students and lifelong learners to engage with and experience the arts, including masterclasses, workshops, talks, student matinees, performance avenues for local arts groups, paid arts administration internships, a commissioning series for working Houston artists, and in-school residencies. More at performingartshouston.org.
About Houston First Corporation
Houston First Corporation is leading the effort to promote Houston as one of the great cities of the world. Its employees operate the city’s finest convention, arts and entertainment venues, including Jones Hall. A local government corporation formed in 2011, Houston First manages more than 10 city-owned buildings and properties and underground and surface parking for nearly 10,000 vehicles. It is led by CEO Michael Heckman.