Ruth Eckerd Hall, Performance venue in Clearwater, United States
Ruth Eckerd Hall is a 73,000-square-foot performing arts venue in Clearwater, part of the Richard B. Baumgardner Center for the Performing Arts. Its 2,180-seat auditorium uses continental seating with no centre aisle. The building was designed by Taliesin Associated Architects under William Wesley Peters, following Frank Lloyd Wright's approach.
In 1977 the Kapok Tree Corporation gave Clearwater 38 acres on condition that a performing arts center be built there; groundbreaking followed in 1979. Jack and Ruth Eckerd led the fundraising for the $14.5 million project, designed by Taliesin Associated Architects under William Wesley Peters. The hall opened on October 15, 1983, and its main auditorium bears Ruth Eckerd's name.
The hall is named after Ruth Eckerd, wife of businessman Jack Eckerd, who helped lead the fundraising effort; the main auditorium honours her. It is a regular performance venue for the Florida Orchestra and also stages Broadway musicals, dance companies and pop acts. Its education department serves nearly 100,000 students and adults each year.
The auditorium uses continental seating with no center aisle, so rows are entered from the side; check your row number before the doors open. The hall sits within the Richard B. Baumgardner Center for the Performing Arts in Clearwater, and the box office and lobby are reached from the main entrance.
The auditorium has continental seating with no centre aisle, so each row runs unbroken from one side wall to the other. The design by Taliesin Associated Architects, led by William Wesley Peters, follows Frank Lloyd Wright's ideas.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,643 contributors worldwide.