Kenyon Hall

History

What has come to be known and loved as Kenyon Hall was originally built in 1916 as the Olympic Heights Social Hall, a friendly community social club that hosted events from dancing and music performances to community theater. In 1993, it opened as a performance and education space for music and theater and has since been owned by local non-profit Seattle Artists, providing an inclusive and welcoming community arts and education space for creatives to express themselves. Despite many iterations of the historic hall over its century of life, one thing is certain—it is a community staple in our little corner of West Seattle.

The building houses the 1929 Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ and features dozens of instruments built into the walls of the building. One of the only organs of its kind on the West Coast, the Wurlitzer is an electro-mechanical synthesizer, centered around the double manual organ console that controls dozens of acoustic instruments lining the theater walls by sending electrical impulses. The back of the theater houses a traditional pipe organ room, which pairs with the instruments that line the walls. The Hall is known for hosting movie nights with local and touring master organists performing silent film score accompaniment on the Wurlitzer as well as offering $1 popcorn bags and $2 root beer floats.

A regular lineup of theatrical performances has been a part of the Hall’s calendar for years, including holiday performances put on by Twelfth Night Productions, a renowned theater company in Seattle. The Hall puts on musical concerts most weekends, offering an eclectic range of music from old-time swing to jazz and folk. The most notable concert was an exclusive performance by Pearl Jam’s lead singer, Eddie Vedder, who performed his Ukulele Song’s record solo in 2011 to a sold out 110 lucky West Seattleites. In addition to hosting concerts and theater, the Hall is used as a rental space for music recitals, private concerts, social gatherings and educational events.

Kenyon Hall’s music school has hosted Kindermusik and youth rock band music lessons for many years. This ever-growing education program offers both group and private music lessons for kids interested in learning piano, guitar, drums, or bass. Bands that practice and learn to collaborate at the hall’s music school perform regularly and are given the opportunity to use the space as a studio to record their original music and learn about audio production.

For decades, the people of West Seattle have come to Kenyon Hall to enjoy music, theater, dancing, and art, and for the past century, the building has represented community and togetherness.