GREENSBORO — When Durant Bell and his partners walked through the old Triad Stage building on Elm Street, they didn’t just see a shuttered theater. That revelatory moment showed a long-missing link in Greensboro’s music ecosystem — a space big enough to attract national acts that had long bypassed the city yet still intimate enough to keep the connection between artist and audience.
Bell is part of a group of five local partners — along with Jeff Yetter, Will Stewart, Daniel McCoy and Arthur Samet — who stepped in as the property went to market. Their idea was simple: take what had been a cornerstone of downtown’s arts community and give it new life as a modern, midsize music venue. That vision became The Pyrle, a live performance hall designed for about 850 people, positioned neatly between the Tanger Center’s 3,000-seat hall and smaller clubs in the city.
“There’s been this gap for years,” Bell said. “You either had 150 people at a bar show or 3,000 at Tanger. Nothing in between. The Pyrle is going to fill that void.”
For decades, Greensboro music fans have made regular treks to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham or Winston-Salem to see touring artists. Bell and his partners saw an opportunity to change that.
“We found ourselves leaving town for shows that we felt should be here,” Bell said. “Greensboro deserves that next tier of live music.”
The team also wanted to build something that would help strengthen downtown’s economic heartbeat.
“If you can inject 850 people into Elm Street a few nights a week, that has a catalytic effect,” Bell said. “It’s about music, but it’s also about revitalization.”
Built in 1937, the building already had strong bones for acoustics. Triad Stage’s earlier wall treatments gave the room a solid foundation, and the new ownership is investing heavily in sound and lighting upgrades.
“It’s going to be an incredible acoustical and visual experience,” Bell said.
What sets The Pyrle apart, he added, is that it’s designed with both artists and fans in mind. The second floor will feature multiple green rooms, showers, laundry facilities and storage — luxuries most midsize venues can’t offer.
“Bands have toured the space and told us, ‘This is different. We want to come back here,’” Bell said.
That attention to detail extends to the fan experience. A cocktail bar on the upper level will operate even on nights without shows, while the main stage bar — set off from the performance space — will stream live video and audio so patrons can grab a drink without missing the music or distracting performers.
To manage operations, the partners conducted a national search with executive firm Charles Aris before finding their ideal candidate close to home. They hired Dom Amendum, a UNCG music department graduate who served as both an artist in residence and professor with experience in program coordination and administration. Amendum’s extensive background in music and production includes work in film, on Broadway and as a global touring musician.
“Trying to find somebody with that mix of skills was like a needle in a haystack,” Bell said. “Dom had it, and he knows this community. That makes a huge difference.”
Amendum will oversee programming and operations, including the third floor — once a cabaret — which will serve as a flexible space for jazz, comedy, weddings or corporate events. Balancing national touring acts on the main stage with local, multipurpose programming upstairs will be central to The Pyrle’s mission.
In a major step for the project, The Pyrle has finalized a partnership with the Knitting Factory, a nationally recognized concert promoter and venue operator known for launching and managing stages in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Boise and Spokane. The deal will connect The Pyrle with the Knitting Factory’s established artist network and booking infrastructure, strengthening Greensboro’s presence on regional and national tour routes.
Construction is expected to finish by the end of 2025, with soft openings planned in early 2026 and a grand opening soon after. The partners also envision collaborations with the NC Folk Festival and other local cultural institutions.
For Bell, the project is a confluence of business, art and civic pride.
“We love music, and we love Greensboro,” he said. “This is about creating something the city doesn’t have — a place that feels different, sounds different and brings people downtown again.”
For more information visit thepyrle.com
