Washington Pavilion

The Washington Pavilion and Mary W. Sommervold Hall

The Washington Pavilion is Sioux Falls' downtown arts and science center, set in the former Washington High School on South Main Avenue. When people buy tickets to "the Washington Pavilion," they almost always mean a show in Mary W. Sommervold Hall, the main stage of the Pavilion's Husby Performing Arts Center. The hall seats about 1,900 on three levels and hosts touring Broadway musicals, concerts, comedy and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, which calls the Pavilion home. For most shows, the best seats are in the center orchestra, a third to halfway back, and the first rows of the center mezzanine.

The full venue name on tickets, Mary W. Sommervold Hall at Washington Pavilion, combines the hall and the building. The hall was formerly known as the Great Hall. The building itself served as Washington High School from 1908 to 1992 and reopened as the Pavilion on June 1, 1999. The same complex holds the smaller Belbas Theater, the Kirby Science Discovery Center and the Visual Arts Center, so check which room your ticket is for.

Sommervold Hall seating chart: orchestra, mezzanine and balcony

The Pavilion describes the hall as six stories tall with three seating levels:

• Orchestra: about 1,000 seats on the main floor.
• Mezzanine: 500-plus seats on the first raised level.
• Balcony: 250-plus seats on the top level.
• Stage-lip seating: 55 seats can be added on the stage lip at floor level, bringing the hall to nearly 1,900. The Pavilion's 2023 fact sheet lists 1,881 seats.

The hall uses continental seating: long rows with no center aisle, one of several features chosen for acoustics. That shapes your choices. Every seat in a row is reached from the side aisles, so a seat in the middle of a long row means passing many people, and the center of the house has no aisle seats at all. Under the usual theater convention, lower seat numbers sit nearer the center, but confirm on the event's seat map.

Best seats for Broadway, concerts and the symphony

Touring Broadway

The center orchestra from about the fifth row to the middle of the floor is the best place for a musical: close enough for faces, far enough back to see choreography as a whole. The front rows and any stage-lip seats put you below the stage, looking up. The front of the center mezzanine is the strong alternative, because the raised angle shows dance patterns and staging that the orchestra flattens.

Symphony

Acoustics were a primary design goal: quartzite wall panels reflect sound, an acoustic shell surrounds the room, and adjustable ceiling panels tune it. Orchestral sound blends as it rises, so the center mezzanine and the front of the balcony are good symphony seats and usually cost less than the prime orchestra.

Concerts and comedy

For amplified shows, baffle curtains can be lowered over the wall panels to tame the sound. Mid-orchestra center is the safe pick for a band; for comedy, closer is better.

Seats to think twice about

• Far ends of the front orchestra rows: a sharp side angle to the stage.
• Middle of a long row if you need to step out: continental rows have no center aisle.
• Upper balcony for a play or talk: distance matters more for faces and spoken words than for music.

Parking downtown at the Pavilion

As of 2026, the closest parking is the public ramp on 12th Street, across from the Wells Fargo CineDome, and a second public ramp at 12th Street and Main Avenue. The city charges an hourly rate on weekdays, but the ramps are free after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, which covers most evening and weekend shows. Metered street parking on the west, north and east sides of the building is also free after 5 p.m. on weekdays.

• Accessible parking: at 11th Street and Main Avenue and in the 12th and Main ramp, with curb cuts and accessible entrances nearby.
• Paying by phone: the City of Sioux Falls Park Smarter app handles daytime payments.
• Buses and groups: dedicated bus parking is shown on the Pavilion's bus parking map.

Check the Pavilion's directions and parking page before you go, since city rates and free hours can change.

Entry, bags and accessibility

As of 2026, the Pavilion discourages large bags and backpacks, and a coat check is available, which helps in a Sioux Falls winter. Outside food and drink should stay home; reusable water bottles are allowed and refill stations are on site. Flash photography is not allowed in some areas, and performances set their own recording rules. For show-specific policies, call Guest Services at 605-367-6000.

Sommervold Hall has wheelchair-accessible seating, and ramps, elevators and courtesy wheelchairs are available throughout the building. A hearing loop serves telecoil users, and assisted listening devices are available from the box office or ushers. The Pavilion's accessibility page has details.

History: from Washington High School to arts center

Washington High School opened in 1908 in a Classical Revival building that became one of the largest public school buildings in the country. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and closed as a school in 1992. On October 19, 1993, Sioux Falls voters narrowly approved sales tax revenue bonds for a convention center and the Pavilion project, and the renovated building opened to the public on June 1, 1999. Details from the old school survive in the hall: the decorative plates on the aisle seats replicate those from the high school auditorium. Today the Pavilion draws more than 400,000 visitors a year, and the Husby Performing Arts Center stages more than 200 performances annually.

Sources

• Washington Pavilion – Husby Performing Arts Center
• Washington Pavilion – 2023 infographic (PDF)
• Washington Pavilion – Celebrating 20 years
• Washington Pavilion – Directions and parking
• Washington Pavilion – Accessibility
• Washington Pavilion – What to bring
• Wikipedia – Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science