Minnesota Orchestra Selects Mortenson for Orchestra Hall Expansion and Renovation

Since its opening thirty-five years ago, Orchestra Hall has been home to the Minnesota Orchestra and countless world-class musical performances.  The performance hall continues to boast some of the finest acoustics in the nation and delivers an excellent musical experience for concertgoers – but the same is not true for the lobby and public spaces. The $40 million expansion and renovation project focuses on creating an overall exceptional experience for its patrons by updating the lobby and front-of-house spaces, creating a welcoming exterior to better connect the Hall to the surrounding city, as well as refreshing certain aspects of the auditorium and backstage facilities. 

“The general contractor is obviously a key appointment to move our project forward and to ensure quality and efficiency across all aspects of the Orchestra Hall renovation,” said Michael Henson, President and CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra. “We have been extremely impressed by Mortenson’s professionalism and experience, and we believe they will be a strong addition to our team.”

Mortenson's work is underway for preconstruction services and will continue into the role of general contractor after the design phase is complete. Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2011 and complete in 2013.

Project partners include Nelson, Tietz & Hoye, owner’s representative, with whom we have had many recent successes.  This is our first-time collaboration with the Toronto-based design architect, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB).  Other partners include Meyer, Borgman and Johnson as the structural engineer and Dunham Associates as the MEP consultant.

“Orchestra Hall is a landmark cultural venue for Minnesota’s concertgoers,” said Ken Sorensen, Vice President of the Minneapolis office.  “We are honored to be a part of enhancing and preserving its physical structure, as well as its enduring legacy of connecting audiences to the transforming experience of music.”