Academy of Music (Philadelphia) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Academy of Music
Construction
The Grand Old Lady of Locust Street
The Academy of Music in Center City Philadelphia
Address	240 S. Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States
Public transit	Walnut–Locust: Broad Street Line 12th–13th & Locust 15th–16th & Locust: PATCO Speedline SEPTA bus: 4, 12, 27, 32
Owner	Philadelphia Orchestra
Operator	Philadelphia Orchestra
Type	Opera house
Capacity	2,509
Built	1855–57
Opened	1857
Website


Academy of Music
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark

Built	1855–57
Architect	Napoleon LeBrun & Gustavus Runge
Architectural style	Rundbogenstil and Baroque Revival
NRHP reference No.	66000674
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	December 29, 1962

The Academy of Music is a famous concert hall and opera house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You can find it at 240 S. Broad Street. Even though it's called an "Academy," it has never been a music school. It sits between Locust and Manning Streets in the Avenue of the Arts area of Center City.

This amazing building was built between 1855 and 1857. It's the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose! People often call it the "Grand Old Lady of Locust Street." Today, it's home to the Philadelphia Ballet and Opera Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Orchestra used to perform here from 1900 until 2001. They moved to the new Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, but the Orchestra still owns the Academy.

In 1962, the Academy was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important place in American history.

History of the Academy
Building Design
- Inside the Academy
- How it Sounds: Acoustics
See also

History of the Academy

The 1800s: Early Days

A share from the American Academy of Music, issued in 1856.

The Academy of Music in 1870.

The Academy of Music first opened its doors with a big party, a ball, on January 26, 1857. The New York Times newspaper said the theater was "magnificently gorgeous." A month later, on February 25, 1857, the first opera was performed. It was Verdi's Il trovatore. This was considered the official opening.

The Academy has been used continuously since 1857. Many world-famous performers, conductors, and composers have appeared here. It also hosted the first American performances of many important operas and classical music pieces. For example, Ariadne auf Naxos, Faust, and The Flying Dutchman all had their American premieres here. In 1916, Leopold Stokowski led the Philadelphia Orchestra in the first American performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony. This symphony is so big it's called the Symphony of a Thousand!

Besides arts events, the Academy hosted other important gatherings. The 1872 Republican National Convention, a big political meeting, took place here. Also, what might have been America's first indoor football game happened here in 1889. The University of Pennsylvania played against a club from Princeton University, and it ended in a 0-0 tie. In 1895, during the Philadelphia Phillies baseball season, the Academy even showed live play-by-play updates of their away games on an electric scoreboard!

The 1900s: Famous Faces

Many legendary artists performed at the Academy of Music in the 20th century. Some of these include:

Parts of Martin Scorsese's 1993 movie The Age of Innocence were filmed inside the Academy. It has also hosted many music competitions, like the Pavarotti competition.

The 2000s: New Performances

After the Philadelphia Orchestra moved out in the 21st century, the Academy started hosting different kinds of artists. For example, Noel Gallagher performed there in 2018.

Building Design

Inside the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

The National Historic Landmark Plaque.

In 1854, a competition was held to choose the design for the Academy. The Philadelphia company of Napoleon LeBrun and Gustavus Runge won. They used a style called Rundbogenstil ("round arch style") for the outside of the building. This style came from Runge's home country, Germany. The building officially opened with a grand ball on January 26, 1857. The first opera, Il Trovatore, was performed on February 25 of the same year.

The architects wanted to spend most of the money on the inside of the building. So, the outside was made of plain brick and brownstone. They hoped to add marble later if they had enough money. The inside of the auditorium is very fancy. It has an "open horseshoe" shape. The columns near the stage are oval-shaped. This helps people in the side balconies see the stage better.

The auditorium has thick brick walls to stop echoes and absorb sound. The upper balconies are set back and held up by 14 fancy columns. The hall can seat 2,389 people. It can hold up to 2,509 if seats are added in the orchestra pit and special boxes. In 1860, it was said that nearly 3,000 people could leave the auditorium in just four minutes because of the wide hallways and stairs.

Inside the Academy

The beautiful chandelier and murals inside.

The proscenium wall and boxes, with detailed decorations.

A bust of Mozart with figures of Poetry and Music.

The inside of the Academy is a great example of early American Baroque Revival architecture. The main hall has a huge crystal chandelier. It's 16 ft (4.9 m) wide and weighs 5,000 lb (2,300 kg)! When it was first put in, it had 240 gas lights. These were changed to electricity in 1900. In 1957, a special electric winch was added to lower it. Before that, it took 12 people four hours to lower it by hand! The chandelier was fixed up in 2008, with missing crystals replaced.

Above the stage, you can see a sculpture of Mozart. On either side are figures representing Poetry and Music. The detailed carvings and gold decorations were made by Charles Bushor and Joseph A. Bailly. The paintings on the ceiling, showing different figures, were done by Karl Hermann Schmolze.

The first stage curtain was painted to look like red fabric with gold fringes. Another curtain showed a scene of Lake Como, Italy. The original seats in the main floor and first balcony were comfy, with springs and red velvet fabric. The upper balconies had simpler seating. Most of these have been replaced with more modern theater seats. In 2018, work began to install even more spacious seating.

In 2007, a large donation of $5.3 million was given to restore the Academy's ballroom. This was part of almost $12 million raised at the Academy's 150th anniversary concert.

How it Sounds: Acoustics

For many years, people thought the Academy had amazing sound quality. They believed it was because of a round brick room under the floor. The architects hoped sound would go through the floor, bounce around in this room, and then come back into the auditorium. However, this didn't really work. Not much sound could pass through the floor. The ceiling was also designed not to reflect sound too much, to avoid echoes.

Some people have found the Academy's sound challenging for orchestras. This is because the many audience members absorb sound. The Academy was built as an opera house. Opera houses usually have less echo than concert halls. The "Philadelphia Sound" of the Philadelphia Orchestra was partly due to conductors like Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy. They worked hard to make the orchestra sound great in this hall. After some changes in the 1950s, Ormandy even stopped recording the orchestra in the Academy.

Despite these challenges, the Academy's acoustics are still good for opera, ballet, and other classical concerts. Many improvements have been made since 1994 to keep the building's beauty and improve its sound.

Academy of Music (Philadelphia) facts for kids

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