Tarrytown Music Hall facts for kids
West profile and south elevation, 2010
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| Address | 11 Main St. Tarrytown, NY USA |
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| Coordinates | 41°04′36″N 73°51′32″W / 41.07659°N 73.85890°W |
| Owner | The Friends of the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory, Inc |
| Designation | NRHP #80002795 |
| Type | Music hall |
| Capacity | 843 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1885–1976 |
| Reopened | 1981 |
| Rebuilt | Early 1980s |
| Architect | Philip Edmunds |
| Website | |
| http://www.tarrytownmusichall.org | |
The Music Hall is a historic building in Tarrytown, United States. It is located on West Main Street in the downtown area. This brick building was built in the late 1800s in the Queen Anne architectural style. In 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which lists important historical places.
The Music Hall is the oldest theater in Westchester County that is still used for performances today. It is known for its beautiful Queen Anne design. In 1901, it was one of the very first theaters to show motion pictures, which were a new form of entertainment back then. Many famous musicians have performed here, including Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis. Classical music artists often record their performances here because the theater has amazing acoustics, meaning the sound quality is excellent. It is also special because it is one of only a few theaters in the United States built before 1900.
The theater closed in 1976 because it was not well cared for and had structural problems. But soon after it was listed as a historic place, a local non-profit group bought it. They worked hard to restore it to its former glory. The Music Hall reopened a few years later and has been active ever since. It has had several updates and hosted even more famous artists. It has also been used as a filming location for movies and TV commercials.
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Exploring the Music Hall Building
The Music Hall is located in the busy downtown area of Tarrytown. It sits on the northeast corner of West Main and Kaldenberg Place. The area around it has many two-story shops and buildings that combine homes and businesses.
Outside the Music Hall
The Music Hall is a two-and-a-half-story building. The front of the building and parts of its sides are made of rough-cut granite and brick. The rest of the building is brick with stucco and wood details. The roof is sloped and covered with slate shingles. It has a decorative iron railing around the flat part in the middle.
The front of the building is very detailed and fancy. It has square towers on the corners and a middle section with a pointed roof. Two small shops are on either side of the main entrance. Their windows have frosted glass panels with colorful stained glass designs. Above the main entrance is the marquee, which is a sign that lights up. It says "Music Hall" on three sides.
The second floor has large windows with painted wood frames. Above the main entrance, there is a special arched brick and stone panel. It also says "Music Hall" and has the numbers "18" and "85" on the sides, showing when the building was built. The roofline has fancy decorations. The corner towers have small arched windows and pointed roofs with weather vanes on top.
Inside the Music Hall
When you enter the lobby, you will see lots of marble and limestone with shiny brass details. The decorations are inspired by classical styles. The main performance area at the back has changed a lot from how it first looked. It has a sloped floor with 843 permanent seats. The walls have plaster panels that hide the original wooden arches. You can see silhouettes (dark outlines) of people from the early 1900s in wall niches and hallways.
Higher up, the plaster panels on the arched ceiling and walls are painted gold. The beautiful plaster decorations on the ceiling where the chandeliers hang are original. Backstage, the original ceiling arches are still there, along with old murals and door frames. Some of the original finishes can also be found in one of the old apartments on the second floor, which is now used as an office.
A Look Back at Music Hall History
In 1885, William L. Wallace, who made chocolate in Tarrytown, had an idea. He wanted to build a theater in the middle of town. The building would be used for different things: apartments, shops, and a big entertainment area. Architect Philip Edmunds designed the building in the Queen Anne style. It cost Wallace $50,000 to build, and it opened in December 1885. The first show featured music from the opera The Mikado.
When it first opened, the performance space had a flat floor. The seats could be moved around. This flexible design meant the theater could host all kinds of events. In 1886, they even had roller skating contests!
In 1901, the theater was changed to show motion pictures, which were a brand new type of entertainment. The Music Hall was one of the first theaters to show them. The next year, wealthy people from Tarrytown started holding fancy annual flower shows there. John D. Rockefeller, who lived nearby, often loaned palm trees from his estate for the stage sets. In 1910, the old gas chandeliers were replaced with electric ones.
In 1915, the main entrance was moved to where it is today. That year, the Music Hall hosted the Cotton Ball, a big rally for women's right to vote. Important political leaders like Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt also gave speeches there. Famous performers from that time included Antonín Dvořák and Mae West.
Another big change happened in 1922. The floor was sloped, permanent seats were added, and the walls were covered with plaster. The new interior also had some Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs. By 1930, the theater was only showing movies. It continued to do so until 1976. By then, television and bigger movie theaters with many screens had made it hard for the Music Hall to stay in business. The village even thought about tearing it down to make a parking lot.
Luckily, that did not happen. Around the time it was listed as a historic place, in 1980, a not-for-profit organization called the Friends of the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory bought the abandoned theater. They wanted to save it and create a place for performing arts. They had to fix the electrical and plumbing systems, which were damaged after years of neglect.
For 23 years, volunteers, mainly local music professor Berthold Ringeisen and his wife Helen, ran the Music Hall. Because of its wooden arches, the theater's acoustics are so good that many classical music performances have been recorded there. In 2009, the Canadian Brass performed, and their music could be heard clearly even at the very back of the theater without any extra sound equipment.
In 2003, Bjorn Olsson became the theater's first full-time professional director. That year, the theater spent $100,000 to fix the roof, replace the stage curtain, spotlights, and sandbags. In 2007, they bought the property behind the theater for staff parking and a possible future loading area. The next year, a local group helped raise money to replace the old air conditioning system. In 2011, the restrooms were updated to be accessible for people with disabilities.
Today, the Music Hall hosts performances about 180 days a year. Many films and television commercials have been shot inside the building. Some movies filmed there include The Preacher's Wife (1996), The Impostors (1998), The Secret Lives of Dentists (2003), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), Game 6 (2005), and The Good Shepherd (2006), directed by Robert De Niro. More recently, scenes from the 2011 film Henry's Crime, starring Keanu Reeves, were filmed at the Music Hall in 2010.
Several groups are resident companies at the Tarrytown Music Hall. These include Random Farms Kids Theater, a non-profit children's theater, Ars Viva Chamber Orchestra, and Westchester Symphonic Winds, which is a large community band.
In 2012, the alternative music group guster filmed a DVD at the Music Hall during their acoustic tour.
In 2018, the Music Hall started a special program for young people called The Tarrytown Music Hall Academy. It offers different workshops for kids in the area. These workshops teach about all parts of creating theater, like lighting, costume design, set design, playwriting, stage combat, and performing.
See also
