Building a new home for Jazz in St. Louis

The Challenge

Jazz at the Bistro was excelling in a tired facility in St. Louis’ Grand Center. The organization was experiencing a trajectory of growth and demand that required them to renovate and expand the building. A Holmes Radford study tested several program objectives: 1) rehabilitate the performance venue; 2) co-locate administration with the program space; 3) expand education programming space; and, 4) build a museum for Jazz. HRR consultants learned pretty quickly that there was little appetite for a museum. A new Blues museum was in the works, and it was feared that the main focus of the mission of the organization could have been distracted.

The Solution

Per HRR’s recommendations, Jazz St. Louis:

- Extricated the museum piece from the program

- Expanded the education component

- Refined the vision with the Campaign Chair’s vision to achieve more than a renovation, but to create a world-class listening room

The Impact

Jazz St. Louis is now known as one of the top venues in the country, with superior acoustics and top-shelf performers. It is known for its authentic diversity and is inspiring the next generation of aficionados and musicians through its cutting-edge programming.