There are more parking spaces, more ticket windows and more restrooms thanks to a $28-million renovation. And that's not all.
By Times Staff Writer
Published October 30, 2003
[Times photo: Jim Damaske]
Ruth Eckerd Hall reopens tonight for its 20th anniversary season after completing the second phase in a three-phase, $28-million renovation project. If you're going to the G3 show tonight, you won't get a closeu-up view of some major additions - such as the Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute and the Murray Studio Theater. And the new Grand Concourse and Atrium Lounge won't be finished until next year.
But there's a lot you will notice and probably appreciate.
To start, you should have an easier time parking, since the number of spaces has increased from 959 to 1,107 (disabled parking spots increased from 15 to 27). Picking up your tickets should be quicker, since the old ticket window has been replaced with a seven-window ticket office, in its own building just to the left of the old window. (By the way, there is a new restroom there for those who turn up before the main hall opens.)
If you get to the hall early enough for a preshow cocktail, you'll see a bigger area on the east side of the building for entertainment and refreshments. The west lobby (the one at the main entrance) should feel less cramped, with 425 square feet added. And it all will look spiffier with the new carpeting and paint.
The best news for veterans of those lines outside the women's restrooms: 29 more stalls have been added (as well as another eight for the men).
In the theater, the seats are a new color (green), comfier (more padded; not wider), and, we are told, won't clatter to their upright position when you stand up. Only seven seats have been added, out of consideration for the hall's acoustics.
Speaking of which, there's also an upgraded sound system.
And even if you don't get a backstage pass, you can rest secure in the knowledge that before going onstage, G3's Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen have been enjoying the newly expanded suites and dressing rooms, which now can accommodate up to 80 performers for those big Broadway shows and ballets.
