Town Hall Seattle

Beautiful venue, just not great for parking. I attended a ballet performance here and was impressed with the interior and the sound quality. The lobby/reception area is not as decorated as Beneroya Hall, and bathrooms aren't easy to find.

It’s a lovely venue. I attended a Moth Grand Slam event, featuring ten amateur storytellers. The seating is comfortable and everyone has a good view of the stage.

We loved the Candlelight concert featuring the music of Queen! The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. The musicians were superb!

The experience observations are very important. A professional demeanor showcases a high profile for the presenters, the public, and the staff. So, too, the active observation without bias remains effective while being present to the safety of everyone around. I would definitely do this detail again.

I’ve never been to a bad lecture or event at Town Hall Seattle. Everyone is interesting. All the guests are fascinating, I highly recommend joining and supporting this awesome local venue.

No doubt, I will attend another one of the Candlelight performances! The venue was perfect and it was quite obvious that a lot went into creating the setting for the show. The musicians were the best! Their interactions with one another (both subtle and not-so-subtle) really added to the intimacy of their performance! As we came to find out, two of them had performed with Joe Hisaishi the last time he was in Seattle. Note that this was first come, first serve with respect to seating so, get there early! And if it’s at the Seattle Town Hall - beware of the Freeway Parking Lot!! It’s easy to get in to (with plenty of parking and a short walk to the venue) but it is incredibly difficult to get back in to get to your car!!!

Small Orchestra playing Queen hits! ...by candlelight! I enjoyed it.

Gorgeous event venue. I went for an author reading event, and it was stunning. Lots of space for large events.

I had the pleasure of attending an educational conference in Seattle on my journey to learning about technology. The conference was very well organized, provided tons of educational resources, the food provided was great (they even had vegan options). The speakers at cascadia were amazing and the social events and karaoke were a blast!

Lots of different programming on a variety of topics. More than one event space. Easy access with a drive up/drop off area. The event I went to was not congested, though it was sold out, so the flow of "traffic" was nice. Even though the seats are not permanent, they were comfy enough, with some padding. Enjoyed the ambience with a library along one side and seating for eating a snack or drink from the snack bar on the other side. Generally, time is allowed for audience members to go to the mic and ask questions. Recommend trying it out if something catches your eye. They also have musical events.

Seating gradient will leave you watching the back of people's head and miss the show. Have fun and bring a big hat or fro to block those behind you.

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!

This was my first visit to Town Hall and I came to hear a Q&A with Jeffrey Tambor. The space is a converted church and what a wonderful venue for talks, discussions, and small recitals.

After writing 999 reviews, you'd think you'd learned enough to avoid starting out your 1,000th with a blatant old cliche. 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.

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 absolute place to be for any intellectual or sociocultural event/speaker. Having just arrived at the end of a long and daunting renovation process, the acoustics of the upstairs and downstairs spaces have been improved, the main hall is more beautiful than ever, and more incredible speakers are coming than ever before. I've been attending events at Town Hall since the mid 2000s, and each one is special, significant, profound, and worthwhile. If you ever get a chance to see your favourite speaker in this venue--or even discover speakers and ideas you've never heard of before--you should take it.

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!

Thanks to Maritess for listing the Sherman Alexie talk on the Seattle Yelp 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 3rd 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!

Okay so I am an idiot. How long have I lived here? My whole life. Would you believe that I had never even heard of this place until yesterday?! My hubby was all jazzed because Chris Matthews (you know, from Hardball) was coming to Seattle and talk about politics and life... oh yeah and his new book. So I came along, because hey, it's only $5. Cheap! It was in the downstairs portion, but I saw pictures of the upstairs and it looks gorgeous! I'll need to find something else to come back so I can go upstairs. The downstairs... well, it's a good open space, and the sound was good. The place had that "weird apartment hall" smell, and I'm guessing it's just from it being so old. Or in this case, "Weird converted Christian Science church" smell. I hope nothing weird happened. Either way, good space, parking in the back and they validate (good to know for next time). I'll be checking out their calendar on the website for upcoming events.

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 cafe, 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.

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.

Sigh Seattle, you are spoiling me. I was thrilled to see the Magnetic Fields were touring, and rather than brave another annoying, frustrating night at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, I booked a flight to Seattle to visit a friend and hopefully have a better concert going experience. You, wonderful residents of The Emerald City, did not disappoint. The Town Hall was a great venue for me. I'm old now (38, haha) and man, I HATE standing at every freaking show! I also hate having to arrive 2 hours early to snag a rare seat at the limited L.A. venues I visit. Instead, we arrived maybe 30 minutes before show time. Yes, the place was about 3/4 full, but even our seats in the center just a few rows from the back wall, were excellent. I'm past having to see every facial expression, I just want some good acoustics and the ability to see SOME movement on stage. As expected, the acoustics were amazing. It was not lost on me that during the whispered ending of "California Girls", you could hear a pin drop. No loud cell phone chatter, no lame pick up lines, no talking about your screen play, or your new band, or your new car, or your new boobs, during the set. No. Peaceful, quiet appreciation of the music, and then thunderous applause, ending at just the right moment for the next song to begin. Thank you, Seattle. Thank you.

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!

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.

As far as music venues go, this is as good as it gets. I went here last weekend for "An Acoustic Evening with the Airborne Toxic Event" and had a great time. First I must say, if you are looking to imbibe while watching your event here that's not gonna happen - they only allow water in the auditorium. But who cares?! You're here for the music. They have padded church-style pews for seating which was nice for the orchestral first half of the show. Comfortable and everyone has a good view. For the rocking second half of the show some people were out of their seats and standing close to the stage rocking out. This venue is nice because you are so close to the artist, the sound is excellent, the seats are comfy, and the staff are very friendly. Town Hall is a lovely place to spend an evening.

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.

The range of events that Town Hall offers pretty much has something for everyone. Classical music, kids programs, politics, authors, storytelling, etc all for a minimal price ($5-$15 usually). Though generally the audience is of the older-than-40 set, I don't feel like the only fresh blood in the room. Due to the venue the people who you'll meet there meet tend to be outgoing, intelligent, and energetic. Next week both Jumpa Lahiri and Barbara Kingsolver are giving talks there and I'll be at both. It's impressive how much they have going on every week.

Brain-child of former Seattle Weekly publisher David Brewster, Town Hall, a private non-profit civic organization carries on in the time-honored tradition of Seattle philanthropists Dorothy Bullitt and others in offering the community a venue and forum for an eclectic array of civic, political, and cultural events. The name itself bespeaks to the old New England tradition of open democracy ("town hall meetings") and is entirely appropriate in this age of the "global village." Its inception also saved the 90-year-old Roman Revival terracotta Christian Science Church on 8th and Seneca (not too far from the downtown Seattle Public Library) from the wrecking ball. The ceiling of the main hall is a huge vaulted dome, and the seating is still in semi-circular pews covered with cushions. Downstairs is a low-ceilinged area for less formal events with smaller attendance--more suitable for "workshop" type events. Town Hall has sponsored, in the past, 24-hour Bach-around-the clock concerts, the Lake Union Civic Orchestra, panels on the subject of, for example, 9/11 and the Iraq War (with James Fallows of the Atlantic Monthly), Duke Ellington, and so on. The monthly calendar of programming usually includes at least a dozen-and-a-half events. Most of the lectures charge $5 at the door, so this is still a good buy considering that the Seattle Arts and Lectures series at Benaroya is about $20. The monthly calendar is available online at: http://www.townhallseattle.org/calendar.cfm This year the Seattle Human Rights Commission will be holding its annual Human Rights Day event here, with speaker Kenji Yoshino, author of "Covering: The Hidden Assault on our Human Rights" the keynote speaker. It is free and open to the public. A very worthwhile endeavor, one that truly speaks to the best in all of us. May be it still be around in 2050 (and beyond)!

Are you ready to step into 18th century and hammer out a constitution? It feels like you are part of the continental congress when you are sitting in the pews in this building. Pluses: Listening to David Lynch's warming and homey voice Minuses: Blather on and on about Transcendental Meditation and how easy life is once you kick down $2,500. Pluses and minuses of Town Hall may fluctuate depending on who has the floor.

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...

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!

I saw Chuck Palahniuk here a while back. The building is great! Full of character and style. I have read a few reviews on Yelp about the seating at Town Hall. I really didn't find it that bad. The pews were fine. Not something you would want to sit in for 6+ hours but it wouldn't ruin an event.

It's a nice quiet and old place to explore. The bathrooms are a bit scary when you go down there. Otherwise, the building has nice stained glass in the performing stage!

A lovely hall with admirable acoustics: large enough to attract big-name talent & lectures but small enough to preserve a much-needed sense of intimacy between the performers & audience. No other venue in Seattle boasts such a consistently high-quality schedule. Performers serve all of Seattle's many communities: from classical to jazz to folk to African music, drama, programs for kids, and public speakers culled from the ranks of today's top news- and opinion-makers. Plenty of parking. It's a municipal treasure.

Got to Town Hall a little late for my concert (Joshua Roman playing Haydn, Schumann, and Shostakovich with the Northwest Sinfonietta) and so had to take a seat at the back of the first block of pews. But the good thing about pews (besides that they remind me of all the concerts and things I went to in the big chapel at my formerly Congregationalist college) is that you can scoot back and forth on them until you find just the right spot from which to peer between the shoulders of the people in front of you and get a good view of the cellist's hands. When I was working night shift, I used to notice all sorts of interesting things going on at Town Hall and be disgruntled that I couldn't attend without using up a vacation day. But now I get to go whenever I want, and I think I will want to often. Not only are there lots of interesting events, they're in a space that does very well at not distracting you from what's going on onstage.

I saw Yo La Tengo here the other night and I showed up with no prior info about Town Hall. It was conveniently located and there were plenty of parking options. The staff were really friendly, helpful and approachable. One staff member actually saw that we lost a cell phone and then helped us retrieve it after the show. This contributed to the feeling that this town hall had been scooped up out of a small town in middle America and plopped in Seattle. The space is very intimate, which was perfect for this show. It was really easy to ask the band questions too. The sound quality was great and I felt the church feel added an interesting element to the concert. I felt like I was there to worship good music. I'm already planning on seeing Magnetic Fields there in March. I'm so excited! Yay Town Hall!

Pros: Neat architecture. Stained glass windows. Cheap tickets. Acoustics are fine. Views are OK. Nearby parking was easy to find. Cons: No air conditioning, kind of makes the place a sauna. Seats aren't assigned which is tough when they don't manage the lines well. I was just at an event and they split the will-call up to A-M and N-Z. When we showed up there weren't any people in N-Z and A-M was around the block. This meant only people with names N-Z got good seats. They finally split the line up again when they realized they were already going to have to start late. Finally the seats are pretty uncomfortable church pews. If you were at a long event I can see how this could be terrible if people needed to get in and out.

Town Hall is a true treasure in this city! I've attended so many fantastic events here - and most are $5!

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.

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.

Friends of Town Hall --you can vote to Save Town Hall's Windows and Walls - it doesn't cost a to help this amazing place! Town Hall is competing with 25 other Puget Sound organizations for a $125,000 grant from the Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. Who gets the funds is determined by an online election. Sign up for a daily voting e-mail reminder from Town Hall, go vote for Town Hall, and post to Facebook and Twitter to get others voting. Links to all this at: http://townhallseattle.org/partners-in-preservation/index.html (The funds would be used to repair Town Hall's damaged walls and spectacular, but crumbling, stained glass window.) Some info on the voting, which is conducted at the Partners in Preservation web site: registering to vote is easy. They'll ask for your name and e-mail address. (There's an opt out for mailings.) Then you create a user name and password. Then you vote. Once you get to the voting page, click on the image of Town Hall on the right column, near the bottom of the page. A check mark will appear. You may *think* you've voted, but in fact, your vote doesn't register 'til you scroll to the bottom of the page and click the blue "vote" button. It takes about two minutes the first time and maybe 10 seconds on return visits. Thanks for supporting Town Hall -- vote to help them win the preservation grant!

This place shows just how awesome Seattle is. There's a lot of cultural events happening everyday, all over town, but the events that happen in Town Hall tend to have broad general appeal and are also cheaper and therefore more accessible to everyone. They bring in the kind of authors, musicians, and speakers that make my friends elsewhere jealous. I went to see Dave Eggers today and there's a slew of upcoming events that will bring me back. To think I live a couple of blocks away!

A great venue that hosts a wide range of cultural events at a great price. The building itself is beautiful and the number of high-profile authors, musicians, and speakers that this place brings in is incredible. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of the awesomeness that is Town Hall.

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: http://townhallseattle.org

I love Town Hall Seattle. I have seen many performances here, The upstairs space is grand, the downstairs space is intimate. May Town Hall live forever and flourish in Seattle's art scene.

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

Town Hall is not plush, but it's comfortable, and sound quality and viewing lines are fine, both in the main hall and in the smaller space downstairs. I've attended everything from chamber music concerts to singers to lectures there, and have always enjoyed myself.

If I wanted church pews, I'd go to church. (If I wanted comfortable church pews that actually had cushioned backs, I would go to LDS church.)

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 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 saw a small concert in the downstairs venue and it was a huge improvement over some of the other spaces I have been to in the Seattle area. Being it was a somewhat low budget concert and tickets were only $20 I wasn't expecting much but greatly surprised by how nice it was. It was pretty no frills and the seats weren't over comfortable but it was clean, the sound was good and didn't feel overly crowded even though it was sold out. If there is a performance here that you would like to see I would highly recommend it.

Perfect acoustics, stunning building, intimate atmosphere, no shortage of intriguing authors & lectures.

My first - and so far, only - experience was not a good one. Went to see Brian Greene a few weeks ago and they made us move from the main hall to the basement. Couldn't breathe nor see, so I got my money back and left. I haven't given up all hope though. I might go back again and hopefully catch them on a good day.

Nice hall. Plenty of character, but not too fancy. They book top notch acts for reasonable prices. An excellent venue for instrumental jazz. Good sight lines.

This is a great place to go for a night out. They always have something going on during the weekends and on some weekdays. Some famous people come to give lectures here. Authors come here to lecture as well. Musicians come here to perform. I personally have only been there for the concert and opera performances. I have yet to come for a lecture. The venue is always changing, but there are some annual performances. The building is a former Christian Science lecture hall built in the early 20th century. It is beautiful to look at both inside and out. I find the music performances excellent. Being a small hall you can see the performers up close and it give the concert an intimate feel, like being in someone's living room. The seats are comfortable too. I much prefer these concerts to the large stadium size music concerts. The prices can be steep, but I have not heard a bad performance yet. Knock on Wood!!! They validate parking, so you get a discount on parking at the Convention Center. You can pay to be a member, which gives you some perks.