You can have great music, and you can have great audience members. But would a Sofar show even be a Sofar show without out-of-this-world venues?
We’ve been lucky enough to curate performances in highly unique, highly memorable, and highly historic venues throughout the years across the globe. We’ve already shared our most beloved spaces as well as cafes that have hosted us around the world, but now we’re in the mood to share a list made for the history books.
Here are some of our most historic venues with rich pasts that keep our hearts singing.
Boston
Arlington Street Church
Constructed in 1861, this church is a Boston icon. It played a significant role in the abolitionist movement during the 19th century and has continued its commitment to activism on issues such as civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and environmental justice. In 2004, it was the site of the first same-sex marriage in the United States.
Adding to its beauty are the 16 large-scale Tiffany stained-glass windows, dating as far back as 1899.
Boston Harbor Distillery
This distillery is historic for its long-standing association with entrepreneurship and innovation. Built in 1859, with posts and beams of Douglas Fir, it is one of the last mill buildings in the Boston area.
It also hosted inventor Silas Putnam, who invented the hot-forged horse nail, as well as George Lawley & Son Shipyard, builders of America’s Cup winning yachts and minesweepers during WWII.
Boston Harbor Distillery has hosted four Sofars, with performers including Copilot, Kieran Rhodes, and Ohly.
Chicago
The Rookery
Considered to be both one of the most historically significant buildings in Chicago (as well as an architectural masterpiece), The Rookery has stood in the Windy City’s Financial District since its completion in 1888. It was designed by renowned architects Daniel Burnham and John Root, who eventually moved into the building.
Its most famous feature is the skylit lobby, redesigned by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905.
Now it plays host to businesses, private events, and the occasional Sofar. Well, we’ve hosted 30 Sofars here, so not that occasional.
Garfield Park Conservatory
It doesn’t get more luscious than this venue, one of the largest conservatories in the United States. Garfield Park Conservatory is two acres of public greenhouse and ten acres of outdoor gardens, often referred to as “landscape art under glass”. The Conservatory space was established in the 1880s, while the main greenhouse structure was built in 1908.
The space hosted its first Sofar in 2021, which featured D. Lylez.
NYC
Hall des Lumières
Many don’t know this, but New York’s immersive art museum, Hall des Lumières used to be the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank – a bank set up by Irish immigrants escaping the Great Famine of the 1850s. The bank served the community for decades, before closing in 1929, a victim of the Great Depression. The building then took on many different roles: it was the headquarters of the New York City Parking Violations Bureau, then became an aid center in 2002 after 9/11.
It was acquired in 2020 by Culturespaces, the curator behind Paris’s critically acclaimed “Atelier Des Lumières”. Now it hosts some of the world’s greatest masterpieces, reimagined as large-scale experiences.
Oh, and a certain show-stopping Sofar from last year which featured Honey Collective.
City Winery at Grand Central Terminal
One of New York City’s most iconic buildings is Grand Central. It’s appeared in countless movies, from North by Northwest to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and its breathtaking ceiling has wowed many a tourist over the decades. City Winery, which calls Grand Central home, has hosted eleven Sofars.
Opened in 1913, Grand Central is a legendary building in New York’s already legendary lineup. It’s so iconic, in fact, that the mainstage of Saturday Night Live is modeled on the Terminal’s interior and Main Concourse clock.
Portugal
São Bento Railway Station
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Monument in Portugal, the São Bento Railway Station is located in Portugal’s second largest city, Porto. The station took over a decade to build, and since its opening in 1916, has stood as an historic and architectural marvel. The interior of the building is famous for its large panels of twenty thousand azulejo: tin-glazed ceramic tiles that depict moments in the nation’s history and rural scenes throughout the different regions of the country.
Fortaleza da Luz
This fortress was built in 1670 and sits atop a cliff on Portugal’s southern coast. It’s been used for various purposes since its construction, and sat in disrepair for about a century before being bought by a dignitary in the 1980s. After some rebuilding and restoration, it’s now an historic site: complete with a restaurant and a space for Sofar shows.
United Kingdom
Westminster Abbey
Probably the oldest venue on this list, Westminster Abbey has hosted dozens of coronations, royal weddings, and funerals over the centuries, and now Sofar has joined the ranks. We hosted our first show here in 2022, and it featured Hamzaa, Josh Barry, and Trudy and the Romance.
The building is nearly 1000 years old and also serves as the resting place for over three thousand prominent figures in history: from Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Charles Darwin, to Queen Elizabeth I and Laurence Olivier. It’s such a who’s who of famous greats, that writer William Morris called it a “National Valhalla”.
St John’s at Smith Square
St John’s has seen it all. Originally a church, this building has survived fires, storms, and the Blitz of the Second World War. It has since been restored as a concert hall.
Fun fact: the building is often referred to as ‘Queen Anne’s Footstool’ because apparently when asked what she wanted the building to look like, Queen Anne kicked over a footstool and said “I want it to look like that.’
Funner fact: We’ve hosted eleven Sofars here, featuring artists like Jensen McCrae and Latir.
Bristol Old Vic
This is the oldest continuously working theater in the English-speaking world, and we’re honored to have held our first Sofar here in 2023.
The building itself was opened in 1766, but after centuries of wear and tear and financial troubles, the theater was taken over by the same company that owned and operated London’s Old Vic theater.
Daniel Day-Lewis called it “the most beautiful theater in England.” We agree, Daniel.
Zimbabwe
National Gallery of Zimbabwe
This building witnessed a major shift in Zimbabwe’s history, from colony to independent nation. It was declared a national monument in the 1970s and is now under direction by National Museums and Monuments. Today, the Gallery hosts the best of Zimbabwean art, and Sofars.
Ready to make some history of your own? Head to a Sofar show near you or check out upcoming shows in a historic building in your area!
