Built in 1925 for a Charles Lindbergh homecoming gala and brought back to life by a $40 million restoration, The Coronado is a room that asks for live strings. The Grand Ballroom's original terrazzo floor, art deco uplights, and Renaissance Revival plaster have the kind of warmth recordings always miss.
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The Rooms
The Coronado opened as a grand residential hotel on Lindell Boulevard in 1925, hosted Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, and Harry Truman during its first few decades, and then sat closed for roughly fifteen years starting in 1964. A $40 million restoration in 2001 returned the building to service as an event venue, and the Grand Lobby, East Lounge, Bradshaw Room, South Ballroom, and Grand Ballroom were refreshed again in 2015.
The Grand Ballroom is the headline space. Nearly 6,000 square feet, the original 1925 terrazzo floor, forty-five art deco uplights tucked into the cornice, and a ceiling that rewards acoustic instruments. The four supporting rooms (South Ballroom, Grand Lobby, East Lounge, Bradshaw) stack together for ceremony, cocktails, and dinner without anyone touring the parking garage. Total capacity across the building runs up to 350 seated and 825 standing.
For a quartet, the Grand Ballroom is the assignment. It's not a small room, and the ceiling height means smaller ensembles disappear into the space. Project String Quartet has played 500+ Midwest weddings, many of them in St. Louis, across venues like this one, and founder Rebecca Hamilton knows firsthand how a room this size needs four instruments to fill it without amplification.
If you're deciding between live strings and a DJ, our string quartet vs. DJ guide walks through the tradeoffs honestly. For ceremony music planning, the complete ceremony music guide covers processional timing, song selection, and how to brief your musicians. And if the Bridgerton-era pop repertoire is part of what drew you here, the Bridgerton wedding music page has the full list of what we play.
Playing This Room
A few things that shape how the quartet sits here.
The Grand Ballroom's plaster cornice and coffering hold onto reverb in the high-mid range. Violins bloom, viola sits naturally in the mix, and the cello gets a noticeable low-end lift. No amplification is necessary at seated-dinner headcounts, even at the 350 maximum.
The 1925 terrazzo floor is stunning and it reflects everything. We use it to our advantage by positioning at a slight angle toward the aisle instead of parallel to it, which softens the early reflections and keeps sound from stacking in the center of the dance floor.
When the Grand Ballroom holds the reception and the South Ballroom or Bradshaw Room handles cocktail hour, we'll typically split the package: duo or trio during cocktails in the smaller room, full quartet for the ceremony and reception transition. It keeps the live thread running across the whole evening.
Ensemble Fit
Violin + Cello
Good for Bradshaw Room rehearsal dinners or East Lounge cocktail hour. We do not recommend the duo for the Grand Ballroom itself, the room is too tall.
Request QuoteViolin, Violin + Cello
A solid middle option if the guest count is on the lower end (under 175) and the South Ballroom is where dinner happens. The viola adds the warmth the duo is missing.
Request Quote2 Violins + Viola + Cello
The right ensemble for the Grand Ballroom. Four instruments move enough air to reach the back wall of a 6,000 square foot room without anyone leaning in, which is how the 1925 architects expected you to hear music in here.
Request QuotePeak-season Saturdays in the Grand Ballroom go ten to fourteen months ahead. Our conservatory-trained quartet, led by Rebecca Hamilton, plays Bridgerton-style pop arrangements alongside classical favorites, all tailored to your ceremony and reception timeline. Five stars on Google across 200+ Midwest weddings.
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Send us your date and we'll confirm availability within 24 hours. Coronado Saturdays in peak season tend to book ten to fourteen months ahead.
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