Volunteer Park Trust (VPT) has been working with Seattle Parks and the local community to replace the dilapidated performance stage in Volunteer Park. VPT has now hired an experienced architectural team to conduct a feasibility study exploring community preferences and technical requirements for a new amphitheater.

Design phase for the project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2016. ORA Architects will direct the study with Walker Macy Landscape Architects. ORA Lead Architect Owen Richards, AIA, is well known for his work on McCaw Hall. Walker Macy has extensive public outdoor performance space experience.

The stage is a vital part of Volunteer Park's infrastructure and is widely used for performances, festivals, and community celebrations. The current brick structure, built in 1971, is in poor condition and its replacement is long overdue. Among its many inadequacies are bad acoustics, inadequate backstage space, and absence of weather protection. The stage lacks fundamental features needed to successfully present music, theatre, dance, film, and other events.

The $20,000 year-long study is VPT's first step toward creating a replacement amphitheater. The study is funded by the City of Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund, and is being managed by the VPT Amphitheater Project Task Force, a group of neighbors and community volunteers committed to improving the park.

VPT will hold a public meeting to answer questions and seek community input on Thursday, October 15th from 6-8:00 p.m. in the Seattle Asian Art Museum auditorium in Volunteer Park (1400 E. Prospect St.).

For detailed information on the park, its history, Volunteer Park Trust, and the Amphitheater Project, please visit www.volunteerparktrust.org and download the full RFQ.

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