If the Chapel is not available on the date you want, or if your event is not the kind of thing we do here, below are some other options in the Seattle area (mostly rental) that might work for you. Contact names are given if they are not easily found on the links. For a more comprehensive list, see the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture's helpful Spacefinder.
Alternative Venues
10 Degrees (Capitol Hill)750 square foot event space with kitchen and private deck, 17-foot ceilings, wood floor, lots of light - good for meetings, parties, dance performances, etc.
20/20 Cycle (Central District)
Yes, it’s a very small bike shop. But they book various kinds of music shows - mostly underground rock, folk, weird, etc.
Base (Columbia City)
Non-profit venue for adventurous dance and performance, with sprung floor, 20-foot ceilings, light and sound systems, available to rent for performances and rehearsals. Maximum capacity 92.
Couth Buzzard Books (Greenwood)
Neighborhood used bookstore and cafe with a regular schedule of readings and a wide range of music (mostly acoustic) in their small back room: open mic, singer-songwriter, folk, Irish, jazz, improvised, etc.
Dusty Strings (Fremont)
A small, wonderful store and music school focusing on acoustic music. There is a stage in one corner of the shop where they present concerts, usually "folk" but occasionally other things as well.
Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum (Downtown - Pike Place Market)
A small, cozy venue with several rooms of varying size. They specialize in literary events but also host concerts, meetings, etc. They have a Baldwin baby grand piano and a small PA system that can be rented for an additional fee.
Gallery 1412 (Capitol Hill/Central District)
A very small storefront space run by a collective of musicians, mostly geared towards improvised and other experimental musics. Can be rented or booked via sponsorship of collective members. Seats about 30, has a very basic PA system, baby grand piano.
Good Shepherd Center (Wallingford)
Aside from the Chapel, there are three meeting rooms on the main floor at the GSC that may be rented for a variety of uses.
Grocery Studios (Beacon Hill)
Artist-run project-oriented space hosting occasional pop-up art exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, dance, music performances, and other creative activities.
The Hillman City Collaboratory (Rainier Valley)
Non-profit, cooperative multi-purpose space housed on the first floor of a beautiful and historic brick building, shared by grassroots orgs and individuals who care about social change, creative expression, and community-building.
Hollow Earth Radio (Central District)
Great freeform internet and low-power FM radio station, they host live in-studio performances of many kinds of music. (Currently looking for a new space.)
Jack Straw Productions (University District)
Long-standing non-profit audio arts center with a recording studio and New Media Gallery (sound installations). They offer artist residencies in both, plus host occasional concerts, readings, radio programs, and artist talks in their cozy main recording studio.
OM Culture (Wallingford, Green Lake)
A community event center that offers a wide variety of activities including yoga, dance, and music for adults and children of all ages. Can be rented for concerts, dances, weddings, workshops, parties, gatherings, etc. It's a spacious loft with wood floors, a fairly large stage, and lots of windows with great views overlooking Lake Union. Looks like it holds about 100 people.
On the Boards (Lower Queen Anne)
The main venue for cutting edge theater, dance and performance art in Seattle. They occasionally program music, usually on the more accessible end of experimental. Large main theater upstairs, smaller studio theater downstairs, both “black box” type spaces. Good sound systems help compensate for lousy acoustics. Open to rentals, but hard to book without scheduling conflicts.
Spring Street Center (First Hill)
Nicely renovated older small church/home with a variety of different spaces for private events – weddings, memorials, meetings, seminars, parties, concerts, etc. Also has guest rooms and kitchen.
Vera Project (Lower Queen Anne)
Very cool all-ages rock venue and arts center at Seattle Center, sponsored by the City of Seattle.
Wa Na Wari (Central District)
A converted house that hosts rotating exhibits by local and regional Black artists; provides space for workshops, performances, and lectures; convenes changemakers, elders, youth, neighbors, and artists for collaboration, innovation, and community organizing; operates an oral history studio for gathering and sharing the stories of Seattle’s historically Black Central District.
Woodland Theater (Ballard)
Ex-underground space (aka The Josephine) now up to code and legit. Hosts small shows of unusual music (usually on the punk end of the spectrum), and rents artist studios.
Churches
All Pilgrims Christian Church (Capitol Hill)Has a pipe organ, hosts some classical concerts. Not sure about rentals.
Amazing Grace Spiritual Center (Ballard)
Sanctuary seats 160. Other rooms are also available for meetings, events, celebrations. Also has a kitchen.
Bastyr University Chapel (Kenmore)
Beautiful European-style chapel on the campus of Bastyr University (originally a seminary). Can be rented for weddings, concerts, professional music recordings, speaking engagements, religious gatherings and other special events. Hand-carved oak paneling, dark oak pews, marble columns, terrazzo floors, glass mosaic artwork, and revered by musicians for its acoustics.
Christ Episcopal Church (University District)
Has hosted classical, early music, and choral concerts. Not sure about rentals.
Fauntleroy Church (West Seattle)
Available to rent for weddings (GLBT friendly), not sure about concerts. Music Director Bronwyn Edwards is very open, but not sure if you can rent or if they just produce their own series. Nice acoustics.
First Free Methodist Church (Fremont/Queen Anne/Interbay)
A church on the campus of Seattle Pacific University that hosts the college's various concerts. Has a grand piano and a pipe organ. Not sure about rentals.
Holy Rosary Catholic Church (West Seattle)
Has hosted concerts by NW Symphony Orchestra and NW Choral. Not sure about rentals.
Interfaith Community Church (Ballard)
Karen Lindquist: interfaithcommunitychurch at yahoo dot com.
A very sweet, small historic multi-denominational church. Seats 100. Very reasonable rental fee. Available for concerts, weddings, retreats, etc.
Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church (Phinney Ridge/Greenwood)
A currently functioning church, with the main church and sanctuary upstairs and other meeting rooms downstairs. Can be rented for concerts, retreats, etc. Has a piano. Rental fee is very reasonable.
St. John United Lutheran Church (Phinney Ridge)
Nathan Jensen: music at stjohnunited dot org.
They seem to host concerts on a fairly regular basis - usually classical, but for a while someone was producing concerts of East Indian music there.
St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral (Capitol Hill)
Huge, resonant space with a big pipe organ. Concerts do happen here, usually classical and choral music. Smaller space downstairs that can be rented for retreats, lectures, etc.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (University District)
Has hosted concerts by Philharmonia NW and other classical groups. Not sure about rentals.
Taoist Studies Institute (Phinney Ridge)
A center for the study of Tai Chi and other elements of Taoist practice in a beautiful old church building (the "back" part of Woodland Park Presbyterian) with great acoustics. Has kitchen and large reception area. They sometimes host arts events. Available to rent for weddings, memorials, etc.
Tibbets United Methodist Church (West Seattle)
Has a lively music program (handbell choirs!) and has hosted classical concerts.
Trinity Parish Church (Downtown)
Jo Baim: jobaim at msn dot com.
Functioning Episcopal church that can be rented for classical concerts (a lot of early music happens here). Has a Marceau pipe organ.
University Presbyterian Church (University District)
Does host some classical concerts. Not sure about rentals.
Woodland Park Presbyterian Church (Phinney Ridge)
Fairly large 1950s or 60s-era church. Has a pipe organ (not sure about piano) and has run an Art & Music Series, so there's a good chance they will rent the space out for concerts.
Smaller Halls & Theaters
ACT (Downtown)A Contemporary Theater group has a number of different venues in the Seattle Convention Center that can be rented for concerts, plays, lectures, readings, weddings, or other public or private events. These are mostly geared towards presenting theater, so may be tricky for music depending on what you want to do.
Ballard Homestead (North Ballard)
A sweet old church turned into a performance/event space, run by the folks at Fremont Abbey. Not much detailed info on their web site yet, but looks like a nice mid-size space.
Brechemin Auditorium (UW)
Sandra Barone: 206-543-1201, sbarone at u.washington dot edu.
219-seat recital/lecture hall in the Music Building at UW. Not sure about rentals.
Broadway Performance Hall (Capitol Hill)
Cool old proscenium theater hosting many kinds of performances, seats 295. Rent is somewhat high, but you get a lot for it and the space is pretty cool.
Camp Long Lodge (West Seattle)
A charming 60-year-old stone and timber lodge surrounded by trees, owned by the Parks Department. High ceilings, wood floors, big fireplace, holds 72 people. Can be rented for ceremonies, parties, workshops, meetings, and other private or public events.
Center for Urban Horticulture (University Village)
Offers several spaces of varying size for meetings, lectures, classes, and social events. The main hall seats 200 people, or 300 standing-room.
Century Ballroom (Capitol Hill)
Two rental spaces, one holds 200 - 300 people, the other holds 100. Available to rent for private events, performances, etc.
Columbia City Theater (Columbia City)
Great old renovated vaudeville theater, seats 300. Books a variety of musical acts, mostly on the indie rock end of the spectrum, but also folk, alt country, etc. Events are only 21+. Not sure about rentals.
Duwamish Longhouse (West Seattle)
Beautiful contemporary space built in traditional Native longhouse style. It serves as a cultural center for the Duwamish tribe but can also be rented for private and public events such as weddings, parties, and concerts. (Note: as of this listing, the link they give for rental info does not work; use this link instead.)
Erickson Theater Off Broadway (Capitol Hill)
Recently built modern black box theater located at Seattle Central Community College. Seats 133. Has sound, lights, video projectors, dance floor, lobby, dressing rooms, green room, etc. Mostly geared towards theater and dance, but can work for music (expect dead acoustics).
Ethnic Cultural Theater (University District)
Small black box theater run by UW's Ethnic Cultural Center, though not located on campus. Seats 171 people, recently renovated with new sound and lighting equipment. Can be rented for theatrical, arts, music, spoken word, conferences and a host of artistic, cultural and social events.
Freehold Theatre (Belltown)
Three rental rehearsal spaces, one of which is a black box theater that can also be rented for performances.
Fremont Abbey Arts Center (Upper Fremont)
Another old church, now a multi-use community performing arts space, also available for weddings, etc. Beautiful main hall upstairs (nice acoustics), with a smaller one downstairs. Both rooms seat 235, and they have sound, lights, piano, projectors, etc.
The Garden House (Beacon Hill)
Beautiful old mansion that is home to the Washington State Federated Garden Club. Can be rented out for weddings, parties, etc. Also home to a good folk/world music concert series. (Now owned by Historic Seattle and currently closed for renovation.)
Georgetown Ballroom (Georgetown)
An old industrial space/theater now converted into a funky but chic rental hall for weddings, parties, and other events. Holds up to 450, has a small stage, nice atmosphere.
The Great Hall at Green Lake (Green Lake)
A grand old church built in 1921, converted into a rental hall. Has a large ballroom with stage and a smaller room with fireplace next to it, and a partial kitchen (has water/fridge, no stove/oven/freezer). Pricey, but very classy space, good for weddings and other private events.
Henry Art Gallery (University District)
Contemporary art museum at UW. They have a large lecture hall where they present lectures, films, and sometimes music related to their exhibition programs; not sure if it can be rented.
Kenyon Hall (West Seattle)
Charming small concert hall – with a pipe organ! Books some "light entertainment" events but can also be rented. Back story here.
Lee Center for the Arts (Central District)
Nice new 150-seat flexible black box theater located at Seattle University. Not sure about rentals.
Mt. Baker Community Clubhouse (Mt. Baker)
Sort of like a grange hall for the Mt. Baker neighborhood, with 2800 sf ballroom and 550 sf meeting room. Can be rented for weddings and other private events, but also for concerts, conferences, classes, etc. Requires a $350 cash deposit (applies to rent) and $500 refundable damage deposit. Discounts for Mt. Baker neighborhood residents.
New City Theater (Capitol Hill/Central District)
Small but mighty, a charming storefront theater space. Seats maybe 30 people or so.
Northwest Film Forum (Capitol Hill)
Non-profit center for independent film and video, has two small theaters (seating for 118/48) that can be rented for various kinds of public or private events. They also tend to be open to booking shows that combine music and film in innovative ways – live soundtracks, etc.
North Seattle Community College (Greenwood)
MaryLou Averill: MAverill at sccd.ctc dot edu.
Has a concert hall that can be rented, don't know much else about it.
Open Flight Studio (University District)
Collectively run contemporary dance space, seats 65 people. Can be rented for dance rehearsals, classes, and performances. Very basic facility, but has reasonable rental rates.
Phinney Neighborhood Association (Phinney Ridge)
An old school converted to a multi-use community center. A number of rooms of different sizes can be rented for weddings, concerts, etc. The Community Hall (think "school auditorium") holds 150 people and has a stage, bamboo floors, piano, basic PA system. Acoustics are quite reverberant. Seattle Folklore Society does a concert series there.
Poncho Hall @ Cornish College of the Arts (Capitol Hill)
Small proscenium theater with balcony, presenting mostly contemporary classical, jazz, early, and world music on their visiting artist series, as well as student and faculty productions. Not sure if it can be rented, or if it is only used for Cornish projects...?
Rainier Arts Center (Columbia City)
An old church building, upstairs is a 240-seat theater with raked floor, lights and sound. Downstairs is a banquet hall. Can be rented for private functions as well as performances and other public events.
Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater (Belltown)
Very cool tiny old-style proscenium theater attached to a bar, seats 65. All manner of weirdness happens here, depending on who rents it - music, plays, drag shows, burlesque, etc. A DIY “pay-to-play” institution.
Seattle Asian Art Museum (Capitol Hill)
Downstairs auditorium has so-so acoustics, but music does happen there sometimes. Also available for weddings and other events. Rental fees are steep.
Seattle Drum School (Maple Leaf & Georgetown)
The Georgetown location has a performance space called the LAB Theater.
South Seattle Community College (West Seattle)
They have the Olympic Recital Hall for concerts (sorry, no info on that - try contacting the music department), and they also have an Arboretum that can be rented for concerts, weddings, etc.
Southside Commons (Columbia City)
Old church, holds 200 people, has stage and kitchen, can be rented for many kinds of events.
Stage 7 Pianos (Kirkland)
Piano store on the east side that has a small rental performance hall for student recitals and classical concerts, with Steinway D concert grand.
Sunset Hill Community Association Clubhouse (Ballard)
Old grange hall in NW Ballard, two floors, with a stage, piano and lights upstairs (and a mirrored ball!). Can be rented for private or public events.
Theater Off Jackson (International District)
Small black box theater in the basement of the old Wing Luke Museum building. Seats 140. They rent out for all kinds of performances - some music happens there, but acoustics are not so good for music.
University Heights Center Auditorium (University District)
100-150 capacity auditorium can be rented for small performances, rehearsals, banquets, meetings, lectures and more. Has raised stage, LED lighting grid, sound system, upright piano.
Washington Hall (Central District)
Originally a fraternal lodge for the Danish Brotherhood, the building is owned by Historic Seattle and rented out for various arts and other events. The main hall is quite large, with a balcony; there is a smaller room downstairs (not sure about seating capacity of these). There is a sound system, but no piano.
Wing Luke Museum (International District)
Asian-American history and cultural museum, has a theater space for events related to Asian culture. Also another event space that can be rented for weddings, performances, etc.
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (Delridge/West Seattle)
Non-profit community arts center with a variety of spaces to rent for performances and rehearsals, including the 150-seat Thelma Dewitty Theater and 30-100-person Movement Studio. They also have a recording studio.
Large Halls & Theaters
Benaroya Hall (Downtown)Home of the Seattle Symphony, they have several different halls that can be rented; mainly classical music, but other things do happen there on occasion. No idea about rental prices, but probably expensive.
Century Ballroom (Capitol Hill)
Beautiful old ballroom with balconies. Main room seats 300, two other halls seat 100. Available for private functions, dance/music performances and rehearsals, workshops, etc.
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center (Central District)
African American cultural center with a large performance hall in an old synagogue, run by Seattle Parks Dept.
Meany Center at UW (University District)
Large theater on the UW campus seats 1206 people, can be rented out for various kinds of performances.
Moore Theater (Downtown)
A gorgeous historic proscenium theater, vintage 1907. Can be rented for public or private events, but expect it to be expensive.
Neptune Theater (University District)
A classic old cinema, recently closed and newly renovated by Seattle Theater Group (see the Moore and Paramount) as a multi-purpose performing arts space: concerts, comedy, lectures, films, community events, etc.
Paramount Theater (Downtown)
An even larger gorgeous historic proscenium theater, vintage 1928. Expect rentals to be even more expensive than the Moore.
Seattle Center (Queen Anne)
There are a number of venues here that can be rented for all kinds of events, ranging from smaller black box and proscenium theaters to lecture halls to an outdoor amphitheater to the big, beautiful McCaw Hall (home of the Seattle Opera). Probably pretty expensive, but worth checking out.
Town Hall (First Hill)
This historic Christian Science Church is now a very busy multi-use venue hosting mostly lectures, readings, and classical concerts. The Great Hall upstairs seats 832 and has a 7’ Steinway grand piano and a so-so sound system; the smaller hall downstairs seats 275 and has a 5’10” Steinway. Rentals are pretty expensive.
Night Clubs & Bars
There are far too many small clubs in Seattle for us to list here. These are the better-known places that program some kinds of music that might happen at the Chapel.Cafe Paloma (Pioneer Square)
Nice little Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant, hosts occasional dinner-music shows on their small dining room stage - flamenco, jazz, Latin, etc. - nothing too noisy, but good music. Has a piano, not sure about a PA.
Cafe Racer (Capitol Hill)
Booking various kinds of bands, on Sundays they host the Racer Sessions, a weekly free improvisation session open to all.
Chop Suey (Capitol Hill)
Old Chinese restaurant turned hipster rock club, mostly alternative/indie rock, but occasional surprises.
Conor Byrne Pub (Ballard)
A nice pub booking mostly Irish, folk, old time, alt-country, etc.
El Corazon (South Lake Union)
Lounge/club booking rock, rockabilly, singer-songwriters, and related musics.
The Crocodile (Belltown)
Venerable rock dive, once Ground Zero for the “grunge scene”, recently re-opened and now more diversified but still mainly a rock venue.
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Downtown)
Long-time intimate jazz supper club. Mostly books mainstream jazz/world and related acts, nothing too “avant.”
Egan’s Ballard Jam House (Ballard)
They mostly book jazz, but interpret that pretty broadly and seem open to other things.
High Dive (Fremont)
Seems to book mainly rock bands.
The Knife Room (Pioneer Square)
4000 sf basement level space at Cafe Nordo, programs jazz and cabaret, can be rented for private events. Seats 56, or 150 standing. Access via stairs only.
Kremwerk/Timbre Room (First Hill)
Über hip small club specializing in electronic music ranging from disco to noise, DJs, whatever.
The Little Red Hen (Green Lake)
Totally great/funky old-school cowboy dive bar booking mostly local country bands, some rockabilly. Free dance lessons!
LoFi Performance Gallery (Eastlake)
Bar booking mostly local rock, funk and soul bands.
Nectar Lounge (Fremont)
Small-ish club booking mostly rock bands, but also folk, alt country, singer-songwriters, etc.
Neumo’s (Capitol Hill)
Another hipster club, mostly alternative/indie rock and some hip hop, sometimes electronica and other surprises. Can be rented for private events.
The Royal Room (Columbia City)
Nice mid-sized club opened in 2012 by composer/pianist Wayne Horvitz and friends. Good piano, drum set, back line, and very supportive of local music out of the mainstream.
Seamonster Lounge (Wallingford)
Intimate neighborhood bar. Mostly books small jazz and funk combos, but quite open-minded within that. More adventurous music does happen there on occasion.
The Showbox (Downtown & SODO)
Two big rock clubs, booking mostly bigger name touring bands but also available for rentals on off nights. Can be rented.
Substation (Ballard)
"Seattle's Underground Music Venue" hosts many kinds of music shows: metal, electronic music, burlesque, etc. Also rents fully equipped band rehearsal rooms, private karaoke rooms, and recording studio. Can be rented,
Sunset Tavern (Ballard)
Venerable dive bar booking mostly indie rock bands.
Tractor Tavern (Ballard)
Epicenter of the “No Depression” alt country scene - some stuff that verges on rock, but mainly country, rockabilly, folk, old time, and other roots music. And square dances!
The Triple Door (Downtown)
Very nicely restored up-scale supper club, a posh “dinner and a show” kind of place. Pretty diverse programming, lots of jazz and world music, open to other things. Great sound system. Not sure if it can be rented. They also book mostly small jazz groups in the smaller Musiquarium Lounge.
Vermillion (Capitol Hill)
Small gallery and bar that often hosts interesting music, readings, and art shows.
Vito's (First Hill)
Classic ex-mobster bar artistically updated with a semi-ironic twist. Books an interesting mix of jazz (including the more avant stuff), singer-songwriters, and old school lounge piano players.