Town Hall

What a fantastic, intimate venue. But they need to replace the carpet! It be stinkin’ and it’s getting worn out! Besides that, every time I attend an event here, I feel like I’ve entered a sacred space, which heightens my enjoyment.

I love Town Hall, but I am a nerd. Every year they always put on great lectures, and I don’t know how they are able to bring out interesting guests, but they do. There are a range of topics that guests speak on, so there’s something for everyone. I love that Seattle is a city filled with intellectuals, and as so, this is such a great venue to be at, with the rest of the nerds for a lecture or discussion. It’s also right off I-​5, which is great for me, coming from the Eastside. There is a parking lot, and the evening rates — which is when I tend to go to Town Hall, isn’t terrible. There is a refreshment area in the lobby area that sells beer, which of course, I am a huge fan of. The only negative is that there is no air conditioning in this place, but they’re working on getting one. Hey, it’s Seattle, we didn’t expect the summer heat!

Most excellent!
I love that this place exists. There are so many great lectures and events here. The space is beautiful and the acoustics are great. I came for the John Gottman talk recently. One drawback was the huge white screen behind him gave me a headache for two days since I was staring at it for hours as Dr. Gottman was standing in front of it the whole time. Next time I’ll wear sunglasses!

Town Hall is a great place hear classical music, literary readings and guest speakers. There are actually two venues, the great hall upstairs and a smaller downstairs area that feels more like a community meeting room. The lobby is grand and spacious, with tables for sitting and talking before the show or between acts. Town Hall is in the middle of a capital campaign to renovate their building in connection with a new park being created adjacent to their property. There are so many events at Town Hall worth going to… the best thing to do is check out their website to find out what’s happening tonight:

I went to a training here. The space is BEAUTIFUL. And the wooden pews are surprisingly comfortable (although they did not work for my co-​worker). However, the bathroom situation is TERRIBLE.

After writing 999 reviews, you’d think you’d learned enough to avoid starting out your 1,000^th with a blatant old cliché. But… it’s a little surprising to see I haven’t reviewed this place. I’ve checked in here enough times by now. What gives? Happy to see the chance now to weigh in, though.
Town Hall is a great big old church with a wonderful location right on the upper east shoulder of downtown, just barely over the freeway and inching up the slope to First Hill. There are lots of good places for a meal or a drink nearby if you want to make an evening of it.
They contribute so, so much to the cultural vibrancy of the city. They book interesting speakers – authors, scientists, poets, statesmen, historians. You can learn a lot just by showing up here with open ears. I’ve heard actors and playwrights and others speak here, often in informal settings.
Last night I heard Pharoah Sanders with a new quartet play one of the headline shows of the Earshot Jazz Festival. The acoustics here are great for spoken word and for acoustic music. The sanctuary is upstairs, with huge vaulted ceilings and bright stained glass windows; pews range out from the stage in semi circles. They fill in with lightweight chairs to get the most possible people in the room for big draws. You never feel weighted down by the architecture at all, it creates a stillness to the air for the sound to travel, but not a lifelessness to the auditorium in any way.
Downstairs, there’s a little cash-​only bar, and down another floor there are some institutional-​looking old-​school restrooms. It’s a pretty no-​frills building in terms of the downstairs aesthetics and amenities, but the programming of the entertainment here is so interesting that you’re energized anyway. There’s a big and affordable parking lot right outside. This is a very easy place to catch a fantastic show, and it’s surprising how many people haven’t checked one out here yet. Highly recommended.

We went to town hall for Randall Munroe of xkcd’s talk at Town Hall tonight! oh boy, we didn’t expect to see such a large crowd at all! This was our first time at the Town Hall’s talk and we were actually quite impressed with the large number of audiences that turned up.
The only problem I see was that, depending on where your talk was held (e.g. some talks were held in the first floor/​basement, you could hear the noises that were going on in the restroom. Otherwise, if you were headed to the top floor, you should be ok (still limited option for restroom, since you need to go all the way down to the first floor anyway!).
Overall, though, for the price of just $ 5 a talk, this is definitely worth it, particularly if you come across talks with topics of your interests!

It’s only befitting that I spend the greatest intellectual night of my so-​called life at the Town Hall being lectured by my personal god, the great NYT columnist, Nikolas Kristof.
Purchased a few tickets months ago (a steal at $ 15/​each with $ 5 convenience fee online). The auditorium where Nikolas spoke (we’re on first-​name basis) held about several hundred members, sitting in surprisingly comfortable church-​pew like seats. Either side was decorated with *secular* stained glass windows (ie. No saints with a hatchet through their skulls looking at the heavens), and the acoustics were phenomenal. Not that Nikolas broke out the electric guitar and did a Hendrix lick, but wherever we sat in the room the sound was right on, and we had a great view.
Biggest downside was the parking and lack of boozy/​foody establishments nearby. This is First (Pill) Hill after all, and parking is available in the form of exorbitantly-​expensive parking lots or hard-​to-​find on street parking.
The Town Hall does have a pitiful café, offering pre-​packaged cookies, chips, popcorn, beer, coffee and wines. They only take checks or cash. We saw an audience member bring in her Safeway-​packaged pasta salad, eat the entire container then proceed to doze off while listening to her headphones and sitting inside the auditorium.
This is as Seattle an institution as you can get, with black and white pictures of Margaret Atwood and other previous speakers lining the walls. A great intimate spot for any event. No need to dress up or look your Sunday best. Fringe, tie-​dyed, leather thong (sandals) — are all welcomed here. And even Nikolas won’t judge you.

We came here recently to hear a talk on a new book. The only thing we knew ahead of time was to get there EARLY. The auditorium is open seating, and the choice seats get taken quickly. We ended up filing into the large upstairs auditorium, which looks a like a cross between a church interior and a local theatre. There is a slight stadium tiering to the seating (not enough to give an adequate boost if you find yourself behind a moderately tall person), which consists of wooden flat-​backed benches with cushions on them. Not the most comfortable, but does the trick. There is room for your knees, but it gets cramped if someone tries to slide by you. In my opinion, the best seats are the aisle spots on the inside edge of the outer sections. You get a clear and unimpeded view right to the stage. Acoustics are good, and while the auditorium is fairly large, it felt like an intimate atmosphere throughout. We arrived about 30 minutes early when the seats were about 25% full, and had no trouble finding good spots.
Parking is parking. It’s downtown Seattle so normally people have options nearby they prefer. There is a lot right behind the building, but I am not 100% sure on the pricing

What a treasure! I have been attending readings and talks here for years. It’s one of my favorite places to spend an evening (especially with my father). Where else can you listen to, and interact with, a well-​known author, scientist, musician, or politician in such an intimate venue — for an admission fee of $ 5 most of the time! I have had the pleasure of attending events with George R.R. Martin (incredibly vivid storyteller), James Ellroy (who actually passed gas on me), Simon Winchester (author who enjoys sharing details), Khaled Hosseini (warm, personal author), Wallace Shawn (interesting character actor, but pretty boring to listen to this time), and most recently Defense Secretary Robert Gates (who has such a tender heart for our troops — see photo). I always anticipate the next event and can’t wait to see who they bring in the future…

This place is an absolute treasure. Bringing some great minds and conversations for FIVE DOLLARS APIECE. My respect for this institution can’t be understated.

I LOVE Town Hall! Fantastic programming, affordable prices, accessible location. Yes, yes, yes! I really need to become a member.

My take on this place is that it was absolutely amazing and the acoustics were awesome. Maybe I’m swayed a little about what I saw and heard there so it’s hard to base my review solely on the venue. They get kudos just for having them there. It was the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, a full chorus, two featured singers and Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music. All on the day after Christmas. It was just an awesome way to end the Christmas vacation in Seattle. If I ever go back here to see anyone, I’ll do an update.

Almost never a disappointment whether for music, political thinking, panel, author talk/​reading. Other than to watch out for columns, few bad seats. Pretty cool building too.
Join and support this place and get preferred seating!

Wow — I just read through a sampling of the other reviews of this venue, and I must say, it’s pretty fascinating what some of the Town Hall audience have on their minds. Some of it’s fodder for the Weekly’s «Ask an Uptight Seattleite» column, and some of it’s just bizarre. You should check them out.
Anyway, I like this place mostly for the great programming under the directorship of Weir Harman. There truly is something for everyone, from literary readings to political forums, to classical music, Hawaiian slack key guitar festivals, and children’s programs. The place is austere, bordering on uncomfortable, with not a lot to distract from the cultural experience at hand, which I think is a positive thing.

I love Town Hall, especially for book readings and lectures. The ticket prices are so affordable. The only reason there is a star missing is that the format of the book readings always ends on a downer for me and my friends, because the staff has decided to let people line up and ask «questions» at a microphone. This is great for people who like to get up in front of a large audience and ask questions, although usually they don’t ask questions, just ramble on about something unrelated. I really wish Town Hall would realize that the most democratic way to have audience questions for a speaker would be to have us write down something on a card. Then, a moderator can go through and put same questions into one question, and sift out the «non questions».
Last night I was at a great reading, but the dreaded question part (I usually leave but was locked in the center of the pew) filled me with dread and anxiety. It also makes Seattle look like a city full of people who are not very self-​aware. I hate ending an event on a low note, so I hope Town Hall will reconsider this format. I am not the only one, if we took a vote… I think my side would win.

Built in the 20s, this former Christian Science Church is an amazing venue to see any performance in First Hill. The building itself is an interesting structure done in the Roman Revival style by architect George Foote Dunham from Portland. Dunham also did the Christian Science Church on Fraternity Row in the U District. Town Hall resembles a church but there’s no overt religious symbolism in the building itself. There’s huge art glass windows and a beautiful oculus in the ceiling. The exterior is finished in terra cotta. According to the history on their website, the terra cotta reflects light well in winter and glows after rain. And last year, Town Hall was given a Partners in Preservation grant of $ 125,000 to restore and seal the white exterior and repair the stained-​glass window on the south side.
We have seen a variety of performances here from John Hodgman and Jonathan Coulton’s epic three hour performance to authors on book tours, namely Wallace Shawn, Craig Ferguson, and James Ellroy, to name a few. And some of the standout performances have been under the guidance of Spider Kedelsky, director of community programmes. He is also responsible for the «World in Seattle» series, which brings in artists from all over the world. We’ve had the distinct pleasure of seeing more concerts than I can enumerate. I had the chance to see Jordi Savall with his wife, Montserrat Figueras. Most artists stay afterward to sign CDs and speak to their fans. I cannot describe how cool it was to meet one of my musical idols and awkwardly speak Spanish in his presence.
One of my yearly favourites is the raucously fun Accordi-​O-​Rama. I’ve learned my lesson two years running now… pay for at least 3 – 4 hours of programming. It’s run over the allotted time every time with no complaints from the audience! I suggest bringing a stadium cushion if sitting for a few hours puts you off. The seats are wooden pews with a thin cushion so it can feel like sitting through mass. The entire venue is fully accessible with an elevator that goes to all levels. I HIGHLY recommend going on their mailing list to learn of upcoming shows sold through Brown Paper Tickets.

Sitting quietly just off the freeway on First Hill, Town Hall is truly a treasure in Seattle.
The gorgeous old building that is now home to Town Hall used to be a church — which, if you did previously know, you would certainly figure out pretty quickly by the pews that act as seats and its beautiful stained glass windows.
Town Hall hosts events nearly every day of the year. Speakers come to lead discussions on the arts. And science. And politics. And current events. And past events. And nearly any other discipline you can name.
Town Hall also welcomes an eclectic array of music events. And provides the opportunity to attend other events that don’t fit quite so neatly into any single category — such as spelling bees and radio game shows.
Town Hall is a non-​profit and is largely staffed by volunteers. Most events cost just $ 5 to attend.
There are so many reasons to support Town Hall and so many reasons to go back again and again.

The last time I went to Town Hall, it was to see Piffaro perform Renaissance music on instruments that are more or less faithful reproductions of the ones originally used to perform this music.
Objectively, Town Hall is a sublime venue. I can think of no place in the city where I’d prefer to hear classical music.
Still, even though I was getting a much-​needed break from round-​the-​clock work, I was vaguely unhappy. And as I thought about it, I realized that with a single exception — The Messiah performance that I attended last year — I am always vaguely unhappy at Town Hall. Despite an earnest appreciation of classical music that becomes more informed by the year.
Sorting through my neurons, I’ve boiled it down to this.
The overpowering sexlessness of the performers. The men are so non-​descript I can’t even describe them. The women have the undusted dowdiness of Ph.D. candidates I knew, people who have molded monkishly among the stacks in the basements of libraries until they cease to telegraph any specifically gendered quality whatsoever.
There is also the fact that to go to Town Hall for an early-​Renaissance concert is to sit among very old, overeducated white people who keep their coats and mufflers on for the duration of the performance, a dispiriting reminder of just how fucking cold it’s going to be thirty years from now. What path must I chart, I ask myself, to arrive upon a sandbar where this represents the best Saturday night out available? And from a purely statistical perspective, just how many times will I visit this hall before one of my fragile pew-​mates is hustled out under a sheet before my very eyes?
I spend most of the time — since you have to look at something — just looking at that sea of sallow heads that bob in time with the ancient strains reproduced by crazily committed musicians who may be, for all I know, conducting the nastiest, most torrid affairs, backstage. Now that I think of it, I bet they are, because when I was a graduate student, the only answer to the tedium was sensual indulgence, and none of these people were obese.
Oh, and heaven help us. How to say this? Artistically, ours is a city of considerable attainments and sometimes comic pretensions. One tortoise-​shell-​glasses-​wearing popinjay was decked out in a scarf, a bow-​tie, and hauteur, his nose pointed so steadily toward the dome of the hall that I was surprised he could register the reactions of the universe he was looking down upon to his Highbrow Man of Culture schtik. I wanted to pull his nose, smile puckishly, and remind him that there’s simply no substitute for being a man.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ll go here again, for all the reasons mentioned in the other reviews, and for one more: going to Town Hall reminds you of how lucky you are to have the option to stay home, drink wine, and fuck.

Thanks to Maritess for listing the Sherman Alexie talk on the Seattle Unilocal event page. Lucky us got to hear Alexie during our one week visit to Seattle last week. Wow – what a powerful and personable guy!
He read excerpts from his latest book, «War Dances» interspersed with
anecdotes about his family (the ones about his mother-​in-​law were priceless), with many stories about his father, childhood, mix tapes…
Alexie is not only a talented writer but an exceptional speaker as well.
He could thrive as a stand-​up comedian! We were so fortunate to be there for this lecture. He is truly a «Legend in his own time.»
As far as Town Hall… the auditorium is intimate. The seating consists of bench-​like church pews. which actually worked out well. We sat towards the back and were able to see and hear perfectly.
The only «gripe» or FYI is that the auditorium is on the 3^rd level and the bathrooms are in the basement. So be prepared for lots of stairs.
They do have an elevator that is not well marked. I was able to use it since I have mobility issues. I did speak with 3 or 4 other folks who had trouble finding the elevator.
Maybe it was just us, being out-​of-​towners, but we had a heck of a time finding this place. The GPS on my cell phone went bonkers and was totally confused. We had maps and knew where it was but couldn’t figure out how to get there. We found it by accident. I guess it didn’t help that it was dark.
All in all, a great venue for a lecture or concert.
The price for our tickets was $ 5! Yay!