It features two auditoria, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, a 2,500-seat performance venue, as well as the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, which seats 536.

Opened in September 1998 at a cost of $120 million, Benaroya is noted for its technology-infused acoustics designed by Cyril Harris.

The lobby of the hall features a large contribution of glass art, such as one given the title Crystal Cascade, by artist Dale Chihuly.

The building sits directly above the Great Northern Tunnel, which carries the primary rail corridor through the city, and adjacent to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.

These same noise-insulation features would also serve to dampen the destructive effects of any prospective earthquakes.