Mercer Arena Lease Approved

Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins announced February 19 that the Seattle City Council has approved a lease agreement between Seattle Opera and Seattle Center that will transform the aging Mercer Arena into a new home for Seattle Opera.

The lease agreement will allow Seattle Opera to house all of its operations—administrative, rehearsal, educational, technical support, costume and scenic studios space—under one roof at the Mercer Arena site, with a wall adjoining Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Under the agreement, Seattle Opera has proposed to invest approximately $40 million in capital improvements to renovate or replace the 80-year-old facility that has been inactive since 2003. The company intends to create a cornerstone facility for the Seattle Center Theater District that will add vibrancy to the Mercer Street corridor, and to pursue a sustainable design that will have a positive impact on Seattle Center and the surrounding Queen Anne community.