A Look Inside the Academy of Music

National Historic Landmark
Philadelphia's Academy of Music is both a celebrated historical landmark and a current focus of cultural life in Philadelphia. Opened in 1857, the Academy is the oldest grand opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose. It remains one of the busiest halls in the world and hosts a myriad of community functions and cultural activities, including performances by The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Ballet. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association owns the Academy.

A New Opera House
As early as 1839 attempts were made to build a grand opera house in Philadelphia. It was not until 1852 that a stock offering was tendered for what is known today as "The Grand Old Lady of Locust Street." To make it official and as an appeal to the public, the "Charter and Prospectus of The Opera House or American Academy of Music" was published in 1852. This document set forth the features of construction, the details of management, and the advantages of investing in the proposed endeavor. An architectural competition for the Academy's design was announced in October 1854 and was won by the Philadelphia firm of Napoleon Le Brun and Gustavus Runge. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 18, 1855, with President Franklin Pierce in attendance.

Broad and Locust
At that time, the center of Philadelphia was at Fifth and Chestnut streets. The residential area at Broad and Locust streets was chosen as the site for the new opera house, partially because it was free from traffic noise. Due to budgetary restrictions, the architects decided to concentrate most of the design on the interior while leaving the exterior "perfectly plain and simple like a Markethouse." It was expected that, at a later date, the exterior would be faced with marble. Bronze gas lanterns, which were donated by the Philadelphia Gas Works and were installed in 1968, were reproduced from pictures of the originals that were installed in 1885 and later removed.

Acoustic and Optical Effects
In their proposal, Le Brun and Runge stated that "acoustic and optical effects have been very carefully studied, and particular attention given to the comfort and accommodation of the audience." Their design features an "open horseshoe" shape which offers greater visibility than most opera houses to the audience seated on both sides of the balconies. The auditorium is enclosed by a solid three-foot brick wall, the inner sides of which are lined with studding and pine boards to absorb sounds and prevent echoes. Supported by 14 Corinthian columns, the balconies are recessed upward in a tiered fashion and the front of the first balcony is adorned with medallions of stylized design.

An Opulent Interior
The luxurious interior of the hall is further enriched by the magnificent crystal chandelier, which hangs 50 feet in circumference, 16 feet in diameter, and 5,000 pounds in weight. Originally the chandelier had 240 gas burners, but it was electrified in 1900. It was rewired in 1957 and, at that time, was fitted with an electric-powered winch, allowing it to be lowered in five minutes rather than requiring four hours and 12 people to lower it by hand. A bust of Mozart executed in bas-relief majestically crowns the proscenium arch. Above and to the left, is the seated figure of Poetry, and, to the right, that of Music. Charles Busher and Adolph Bailey designed and executed the exquisite carved and gilded wood sculpture decorations throughout the hall. Karl Hermann Schmolze painted the ceiling murals of allegorical figures.

"Who's Who"
The American Academy of Music opened with a Grand Ball and Promenade Concert on January 26, 1857. The American premiere of Verdi's Il trovatore was presented at the Academy on February 25, 1857. Other noted operas that had their American premieres here include Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, Gounod's Faust, and Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. The list of renowned artists who have performed at the Academy reads like a "who's who" of the past century of performing arts history, with such greats as Marian Anderson, Maria Callas, Enrico Caruso, Aaron Copland, Vladimir Horowitz, Gustav Mahler, Anna Pavlova, Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Leontyne Price, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Artur Rubinstein, Isaac Stern, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Joan Sutherland, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, among many others.

Important Visits
Numerous presidents and dignitaries have visited the Academy of Music since its opening. In 1860 England's Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, visited and in 1871 a ball in honor of Russian Grand Duke Alexis, son of Czar Alexander II, was given. In this hall, in 1870, the second reunion of the Army of the Potomac, attended by generals Grant, McClellan, Sheridan, Sherman, Meade, and Brunside was held. President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland attended a gala two-day celebration of the centennial of the U.S. Constitution in 1887, and in 1889 a wooden floor was installed for the first indoor football game in Philadelphia, between the University of Pennsylvania and the Riverton Club of Princeton.

A Rich History
Even the Academy of Music basement has a rich history. In 1857 it held a restaurant with elegant décor and crystal chandeliers. Off the main area were drawing rooms where ladies sipped sherry and gentlemen smoked their cigars. During World War II, the restaurant was converted into the "Stage Door Canteen," serving refreshments and featuring appearances by stars of stage, screen, opera, concert, and radio, including favorites Abbott and Costello, Duke Ellington, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Gertrude Lawrence, Yehudi Menuhin, and Frank Sinatra. The Canteen continued operating from June 1942 until October 1945 and hosted a total of 2,500,000 men and women from the armed services during these years.

The Academy Today
The history of the world-famous Philadelphia Orchestra is inextricably involved with that of the Academy. The Orchestra made its home there from 1900 until December 2001, when it moved to the Kimmel Center. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association maintains ownership of the Academy of Music. The Academy of Music is the region's primary venue for major operatic performances, traveling dance and theater companies, and major Broadway productions. In addition, the Academy of Music continues as the principal stage for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet, and numerous other local institutions that have called the Academy of Music home for generations. The Philadelphia Orchestra will always return to the Academy to play at the annual Anniversary Concert and Ball. Scheduling of performances is handled through the Kimmel Center, Inc., a joint-venture cultural organization that will book both the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music. This cooperation of arts organizations in Philadelphia is helping to foster the city's economic revitalization and reestablish Philadelphia's position as a great cultural center.