Music Hall (Cincinnati)
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| Cincinnati Music Hall | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1878 |
| Architect: | Hannaford,Samuel, & Sons |
| Architectural style(s): | Gothic |
| Added to NRHP: | January 26, 1970 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 70000496[1] |
| MPS: | Hannaford, Samuel, & Sons TR |
| Governing body: | Local |
Music Hall is Cincinnati's premier classical music performance hall, but was designed from the start with a dual purpose - to house musical activities in its central auditorium and industrial exhibitions in its side wings. It is located at 1241 Elm Street in Cincinnati, Ohio across from historic Washington Park in the Over-the-Rhine area, just minutes from the center of the downtown area. In January, 1975, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Notably, the 1880 Democratic National Convention was hosted here.
Music Hall was built as a replacement for the Cincinnati May Festival's original Saengerfest Hall, a tin-roofed wooden structure built by the Saengerbund singing society on municipal land, when the great success of the festival demanded a larger more permanent venue. It was finished just in time for the 1878 festival with private funds from what is believed to be the nation's first matching grant fund drive, a $125,000 challenge grant made by patron Reuben Springer.
The building was designed by architect Samuel Hannaford and his Cincinnati-based firm Hannaford and Proctor in a style often referred to as "modified modernized Gothic" or "romantic eclecticism." Certain Cincinnatians affectionately describe it as "Sauerbraten Byzantine."
The main hall, called the Springer Auditorium in honor of founding patron Reuben Springer, has 3,516 seats and ranks acoustically as one of the finest performance venues in the world. It serves as home for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera, the Cincinnati Ballet's annual performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, and the May Festival Chorus. It is one of the largest permanent concert halls in the U.S. and the world, second only to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City and DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the central auditorium, the facility includes:
- Music Hall Ballroom - accommodating up to 1,300 people, this room is the second largest meeting space in the city, encompassing nearly 20,000 square feet. It is frequently used for large receptions, exhibitions, fashion shows, class reunions and breakfast, lunch and dinner gatherings. In October 1998, a $1.8 million renovation of the Ballroom was completed. In July 2007 organ rebuilder Ronald F. Wehmeier of Cincinnati announced the Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ that once graced the old Albee Theater in Cincinnati will be restored and installed in Music Hall’s Ballroom far a New Year’s Eve 2009 debut. It is also believed that there are hauntings in the Music Hall. Most guards do not want to go down in the basements because doors will shut behind them.
- Corbett Tower - a setting for a wide variety of events, ranging from weddings and receptions to grand dinners and parties. It has seating for up to 300, as well as a stage, controlled sound and light systems, dance floor, kitchen, and bar facilities.
- Critic's Club - A dining club that seats 50.
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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