Meany Hall
Meany Hall is the name of two buildings on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Today, Meany Hall includes performance venues such as the Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater (1,206 seats) and the Meany Studio Theatre (238 seats). It hosts international acts through the Meany Center for the Performing Arts and performances from UW’s School of Drama, School of Music, Dance Program, and the Center for Digital Arts & Experimental Media. The lobby features artwork by artists like Dale Chihuly, Jacob Lawrence, and Robert Rauschenberg.
The original Meany Hall, then called Auditorium Hall, stood between Memorial Way and 15th Avenue, across from Suzzallo Library. It was built for the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition as an athletic arena for boxing and other events. Architects were Howard & Galloway, and it cost $181,000. From 1909 to 1965, it had up to 2,600 seats, the largest on campus at the time. After the exposition, it was used for student assemblies and for music and drama performances.
The hall was named after Edmond S. Meany, a UW professor who helped bring the exposition and several campus buildings. The Daily began a campaign in 1909 to rename Auditorium Hall as Meany Hall, even calling it “Meany Hall” in its columns. The Board of Regents resisted naming a building after a living person. Meany wanted the hall named Seward Hall, after William H. Seward. On May 1, 1914, the regents agreed to rename it Meany Hall, during a ceremony for Edmond Meany and his wife’s 25th wedding anniversary.
Before 1925, the University Book Store was in Meany Hall’s basement, but it moved after fire marshal concerns about fire escapes and extinguishers. In 1958, a renovation improved lighting and sound, and the interior was painted salmon pink, described at the time as a bright, almost futuristic space with soft red-and-gray seats and unique lighting. The renovation also included structural reinforcements, though engineers warned the hall would eventually need replacement.
In 1965, a Seattle earthquake made Meany Hall unsafe, and it was condemned and demolished. The space allowed Central Plaza to open up, and Suzzallo Library became the centerpiece of the plaza.
A new Meany Hall opened in 1974, southeast of the old entrance, costing about $7.12 million. The architects were Kirk, Wallace, McKinley & Associates. The new building has a contemporary brick design, matching the nearby Odegaard Undergraduate Library.
In 1995, the Allen Center for the Visual Arts was added on the site of the old Meany Hall as part of the Henry Art Gallery expansion.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:11 (CET).