Newport Beach residents now have a 299-seat auditorium for lectures, concerts, and civic gatherings after Witte Hall opened on the Central Library campus during a four-day celebration from Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12.
The hall features a permanent stage, professional audio and visual technology, and the adjacent Stahr Courtyard for receptions. It sits at 980 Avocado Avenue, next to the Central Library on the Civic Center campus. Operating hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and the space is available for community rentals at 949-644-3167.
The total project cost was $23.5 million, according to council records from the January 2024 approval vote, split evenly between the city and the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation. Councilmember Robyn Grant, who voted yes on the project, wrote about the milestone in a July 13 guest column for Stu News Newport, calling it one of the city's most significant public-private investments.
Eight years from idea to opening night
Library advocates first pushed for a dedicated lecture hall in 2017, arguing the city had outgrown the Friends Room built with the library in 1994. Annual library programming participation had grown from about 28,000 in 2009–10 to more than 72,000 by 2018–19, according to city records presented during the January 2024 council vote.
The path to construction was bumpy. The city's original budget was $4 million, later raised to $6.5 million in 2021. When the first round of bids came back in April 2023, the lowest was $17.8 million. After rebidding in October 2023, the council awarded a $19.1 million construction contract to AMG & Associates of Santa Clarita on a narrow 4-3 vote in January 2024.
Council members Noah Blom, Grant, Brad Avery, and Erik Weigand voted yes. Council members Lauren Kleiman, then-Mayor Will O'Neill, and then-Mayor Pro Tem Joe Stapleton voted no.
"It's a legacy project, and I don't mean that in an ego way," Avery said at the January 2024 meeting. "It will take people into other worlds and to other ideas for decades and bring people together."
Design and donors
Robert Coffee + Associates led the design, working with general contractor AMG & Associates. Grant named Jill Johnson Tucker as chair of the design committee, with members including Assemblymember Diane Dixon, Matthew Witte, Karen Clark, and Janet Ray.
Lead donors Bill Witte and Keiko Sakamoto committed a $4 million gift in 2022 that anchored the foundation's "Beyond Books" capital campaign and named the hall. Grant wrote that their generosity "invested in the intellectual and civic life of Newport Beach."
The foundation, led by CEO Jerry Kappel, had raised $7.1 million in cash and $2 million in pledges toward its $11.7 million share as of January 2024. Grant also credited City Manager Seimone Jurjis, former City Manager Grace Leung, Public Works Director Dave Webb, and Deputy Public Works Director Jim Houlihan for shepherding the project.
Grant was the first person to take the Witte Hall stage, reading her children's book "The Adventures of Officer Bubbles" and premiering an animated short film created with Ed Olen to raise awareness of the city-owned Newport Beach Animal Shelter.
What's next
Free Sunday Musicales, funded by the Friends of the Newport Beach Public Library, will continue at the venue. The full schedule is available at newportbeachlibrary.org/calendar/sunday-musicales.
