FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2006

Celebration to announce construction at Music Hall

On Thursday, July 27 at 9 a.m., the City of Kansas City, Mo., Capital Improvements Management Office, in partnership with the Convention and Entertainment Centers Department and Helix Architectural Services, will host a kick-off celebration and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Music Hall at Municipal Auditorium.

City officials including Mayor Kay Barnes and City Manager Wayne A. Cauthen, and the project's design team will be at the celebration.

Taylor Kelly LLC, the project's selected prime contractor, began demolition work July 25. This $13.4 million renovation project is scheduled to be largely completed by March 2007. Work will go on hiatus in December to accommodate the Kansas City Ballet's staging of "The Nutcracker."

Work included in the project:

Stage expansion - The existing back-stage wall will be demolished and 15 feet of additional depth will be added to provide increased stage capacity often required by today's touring show groups. An elevated steel penthouse tower will be added to a section of Municipal Auditorium's roof to accommodate this expansion. Updated raised stage flooring also will be installed, in addition to new stage curtains and a modernized set rigging system.

Back-of-house restoration - Several rooms on the six floors behind the stage, including dressing rooms, will be refitted with plumbing and electrical upgrades.

Seating replacement - The Music Hall's 2,400 existing seats will be removed and replaced with wider, upholstered seating. The orchestra level seating configuration will be rearranged to improve audience sightlines and provide additional handicap accessible space. The center aisle will be eliminated as a part of this reconfiguration, and the aisles will be fitted with LED lighting. The balcony and loge seating configuration will remain the same, however, these seats will be replaced.

Main lobby handicap accessibility ramp - The current main lobby handicap accessibility ramp will be reconstructed and incorporated more seamlessly into the existing entrance foyer.

Constructed in 1935, Music Hall received its last major renovation in 1981. A 2001 feasibility study first determined the need for the stage expansion and house improvements. The renovation design was completed by Holzman Moss Architecture of New York and Helix Architectural Services of Kansas City earlier this year.

In May, the Konrath Group and Kansas-City based Malco Construction were selected as the project's construction management team.

When completed, the renovated Music Hall will be able to showcase a wider range of performances and will be a premier venue in Kansas City. This project coincides with the current wave of revitalization taking place in downtown Kansas City. Its centralized location will make it a convenient attraction for those visiting the new Power & Light Entertainment District and the expanded Kansas City Convention Center.

For more information about this project, visit the Capital Improvements Management Office's Web site (www.kcmo.org/cimo).