Carnegie Hall is a concert hall in Manhattan, New York City, located at the corner of 57th Street and 7th Avenue. It is one of the most famous venues for classical as well as jazz and pop concerts in the United States.
Carnegie Hall, situated at 881 Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan,
New York City, stands as one of the most iconic concert venues globally,
renowned for its acoustics, architectural elegance, and role in shaping
musical and cultural history. Since its inception in the late 19th
century, it has hosted countless legendary performers across genres,
from classical maestros to jazz pioneers, rock stars, and civil rights
speakers. Its story reflects New York City's evolution, blending
philanthropy, artistic innovation, preservation battles, and ongoing
adaptations to modern needs.
Founding and Construction
(1887–1891)
The origins of Carnegie Hall trace back to a chance
encounter in the spring of 1887 aboard the steamship Fulda, where
industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie met Walter Damrosch,
the young conductor of the Oratorio Society of New York and the New York
Symphony Society. Damrosch, seeking a permanent home for his ensembles
amid New York City's lack of a dedicated large-scale concert hall,
pitched the idea to Carnegie during their transatlantic voyage.
Carnegie, already a supporter of cultural institutions, expressed
enthusiasm for funding such a project. By 1889, Carnegie had organized
the Music Hall Company of New York to oversee the venture, committing $2
million of his personal fortune (equivalent to about $65 million today).
Construction began in 1890 on a plot in what was then a remote,
underdeveloped area of Manhattan known as "Hogtown" or "Goat Hill," far
uptown from the city's cultural center around 14th Street. The site, at
the corner of Seventh Avenue and 57th Street, was chosen for its
affordability and potential. Andrew's wife, Louise Carnegie, laid the
cornerstone on May 13, 1890, in a ceremonial event. Architect William
Burnet Tuthill, a founding member of the Architectural League of New
York with no prior experience designing concert halls, led the design in
a modified Italian Renaissance Revival style. He consulted acoustician
Dankmar Adler for sound optimization, resulting in a structure with
heavy masonry walls (up to 4 feet thick), cement-and-tile floors, and a
facade of narrow Roman bricks accented by terracotta arches, pilasters,
and cornices. Steel from Carnegie's mills in Pennsylvania and New Jersey
was used extensively, and the building incorporated an "L"-shaped layout
with three interconnected sections: the main auditorium block (eight
stories), a 16-story eastern wing for the recital hall, and a 13-story
southern wing for the basement hall. The total cost came to $1.25
million, and construction wrapped up in under a year despite the site's
challenges.
Opening and Early Years (1891–1920s)
Initially
named the Music Hall (to avoid confusion with European venues), the
building opened in phases. The smaller Recital Hall (now Weill Recital
Hall) hosted preliminary events in April 1891, including rehearsals by
the Oratorio Society. The grand opening of the main auditorium occurred
on May 5, 1891, kicking off a five-day music festival that drew
international attention. Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
invited as a guest conductor, led his Marche Solennelle on opening
night, praising the hall's acoustics as "unusually impressive and
grand." Other highlights included Italian tenor Italo Campanini and
Damrosch himself conducting multiple programs. The festival symbolized
New York's ascent as a global cultural hub. In 1893, the board persuaded
Carnegie to allow the name change to Carnegie Hall for branding
purposes.
The early decades saw a flurry of debuts and premieres that
cemented the hall's prestige. In 1891, Polish pianist Ignacy Jan
Paderewski and the New York Symphony Orchestra performed the venue's
first children's concert. Soprano Sissieretta Jones became the first
African American performer there in 1892, appearing in the lower-level
hall (now Zankel Hall). Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 ("From the New
World") received its world premiere in 1893, conducted by Anton Seidl.
Additions in 1894 and 1896 expanded the building with artists' studios
to generate rental income, housing figures like painter William Merritt
Chase.
Beyond music, the hall hosted civic events: Booker T.
Washington spoke alongside President Grover Cleveland in 1896; Winston
Churchill lectured on the Boer War in 1901; and Theodore Roosevelt
campaigned there in 1912. Classical luminaries like Gustav Mahler
(conducting his Symphony No. 2 in 1908), Sergei Rachmaninoff (debut
1909), and Jascha Heifetz (debut 1917) graced the stage. Jazz elements
emerged early, with James Reese Europe's Clef Club Orchestra presenting
a "Concert of Negro Music" in 1912. In 1920, the exterior steps were
removed to accommodate 57th Street's widening. Ownership shifted in 1925
when Louise Carnegie sold it to developer Robert E. Simon for financial
sustainability.
Mid-20th Century: Diversification and Challenges
(1930s–1950s)
The hall broadened its programming amid the Great
Depression and World War II. George Gershwin premiered his Concerto in F
in 1925, followed by Igor Stravinsky's U.S. debut in the same year. Jazz
took center stage with Benny Goodman's legendary 1938 concert, featuring
integrated performers like Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa, and John
Hammond's "From Spirituals to Swing" that year, showcasing Count Basie
and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Duke Ellington debuted in 1943 with Black,
Brown and Beige, and bebop arrived in 1947 via Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie
Parker, and Ella Fitzgerald. Country music hit with Ernest Tubb in 1947,
and rock 'n' roll with Bill Haley and His Comets in 1955.
Non-musical
events included Albert Einstein's honor in 1934, Ernest Hemingway's
speech in 1937, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s address in 1968. Acoustics
faced criticism after 1940s modifications, like film setups creating
dead spots. Ownership changed again in 1956 to the Glickman Corporation
for $5 million, as the New York Philharmonic planned to move to Lincoln
Center, threatening the hall's viability.
Preservation,
Renovations, and Modern Era (1960s–Present)
By the late 1950s,
demolition loomed for a proposed office tower, but violinist Isaac Stern
led a preservation campaign, forming the Committee to Save Carnegie
Hall. In 1960, New York City purchased the building for $5 million,
leasing it to the nonprofit Carnegie Hall Corporation. It was designated
a National Historic Landmark in 1962, a New York City landmark in 1967,
and added to the New York State Register in 1980. A celebratory
reopening concert in September 1960 featured Leonard Bernstein and
Stern.
The 1960s brought pop culture: The Beatles performed two
sold-out shows in 1964; Judy Garland recorded her iconic live album in
1961. Renovations addressed wear: 1966 upgrades included new seats and
stage extensions; major 1980s work (costing $50 million) reconfigured
spaces, though initial acoustic changes drew complaints. In 1995,
workers discovered and removed concrete under the stage, restoring the
famed sound. The basement hall reopened as Zankel Hall in 2003 after a
$69 million renovation with advanced soundproofing against subway noise.
Weill Recital Hall was renamed in 1986 and restored with better
acoustics. The Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage (renamed 1997) seats
2,790; total capacity across three halls is 3,671.
Today, under
Executive Director Clive Gillinson (since 2005) and Chairman Robert F.
Smith (since 2016), the nonprofit manages the hall with assets exceeding
$700 million. It hosts over 170 events annually, from classical to world
music, plus education programs via the Resnick Education Wing (opened
2014). The Rose Museum (1991) and Susan W. Rose Archives (1986) preserve
its legacy. Closed briefly during COVID-19 (March 2020–October 2021), it
reopened with the Philadelphia Orchestra and continues commissioning
works, as in its 125th anniversary season (2015–2016) with 125 new
pieces.
Over the span of more than 130 years, Carnegie Hall has served as the
illustrious stage for countless celebrated world premieres of musical
compositions, showcasing groundbreaking works by leading composers
across eras. Below is a curated selection of these premieres, enriched
with historical context such as performers, conductors, orchestras, and
other notable facts:
December 16, 1893: Antonín Dvořák's Symphony
No. 9, Op. 95 ("From the New World"), a landmark piece incorporating
American folk influences and spirituals, premiered with the New York
Philharmonic under conductor Anton Seidl.
March 21, 1904: Richard
Strauss's Sinfonia Domestica (often translated as "Domestic Symphony"),
an autobiographical tone poem depicting family life, conducted by the
composer himself with the Wetzler Symphony Orchestra.
November 7,
1931: Sergei Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42, a
set of 20 variations plus intermezzo and coda for solo piano, composed
during a summer retreat in Europe and dedicated to Fritz Kreisler; this
marked one of Rachmaninoff's final original piano works, likely
performed by the composer.
January 9, 1939: Béla Bartók's Contrasts,
a chamber work for clarinet, violin, and piano commissioned by Benny
Goodman, premiered by Goodman on clarinet, Joseph Szigeti on violin, and
Endre Petri on piano.
December 15, 1940: Arnold Schoenberg's Chamber
Symphony No. 2, Op. 38, a complex atonal composition completed after a
long hiatus, performed by the New Friends of Music ensemble under Fritz
Stiedry.
January 24, 1946: Igor Stravinsky's Symphony in Three
Movements, inspired by wartime events and film footage, conducted by the
composer with the New York Philharmonic.
April 5, 1946: Charles
Ives's Symphony No. 3 ("The Camp Meeting"), evoking American hymn tunes
and revival meetings, presented by the New York Little Symphony under
Lou Harrison in what is now Weill Recital Hall.
March 13, 1947:
Olivier Messiaen's Hymne pour grande orchestre (also known as Hymne au
Saint Sacrament or "Hymn to the Holy Sacrament"), a vibrant orchestral
piece reflecting spiritual ecstasy, conducted by Leopold Stokowski with
the New York Philharmonic.
April 26, 1965: Charles Ives's Symphony
No. 4, a multifaceted work requiring multiple conductors and
incorporating hymns, marches, and ragtime, led by Leopold Stokowski with
the American Symphony Orchestra.
February 3, 2002: Philip Glass's
Symphony No. 6 ("Plutonian Ode") for soprano and orchestra, based on
Allen Ginsberg's anti-nuclear poem, featuring soprano Lauren Flanigan
with the American Composers Orchestra under Dennis Russell Davies.
February 25, 2002: John Adams's American Berserk, a solo piano piece
capturing chaotic American energy with ragtime and jazz influences,
premiered by pianist Garrick Ohlsson.
December 11, 2006: Elliott
Carter's Catenaires, a virtuosic solo piano work characterized by
continuous rapid notes, premiered by Pierre-Laurent Aimard with the
composer in attendance.
May 2, 2008: Bobby McFerrin's "bobble"
(likely referring to elements within his innovative "Instant Opera"
program), part of a Young Artists Concert in Zankel Hall, showcasing
McFerrin's improvisational vocal style and collaborative spirit during
his 2007–2008 Perspectives series.
Carnegie Hall, located at 881 Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan,
New York City, between West 56th and 57th Streets, is a renowned concert
venue designed in a modified Italian Renaissance Revival style.
Commissioned by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and constructed between
1889 and 1891 at a cost of approximately $1.25 million (with Carnegie
contributing $2 million initially), the building was architect William
Burnet Tuthill's first concert hall project. Tuthill, a professional
architect and amateur cellist, collaborated with acoustical consultant
Dankmar Adler of Adler & Sullivan to prioritize sound quality in the
design. The structure occupies a 27,618-square-foot site, forming an "L"
shape with three interconnected sections: an eight-story rectangular
main building (150 feet along 57th Street and 175 feet along Seventh
Avenue), a 16-story eastern wing along 57th Street, and a 13-story
southern wing at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 56th Street.
Designated a New York City Landmark in 1967, a National Historic
Landmark in 1962, and listed on the New York State Register of Historic
Places in 1980, Carnegie Hall exemplifies restrained elegance, blending
historical grandeur with functional acoustics for musical performances.
The building's design philosophy emphasizes simplicity and
functionality, with interiors focused on acoustic purity to ensure sound
clarity and richness reach every seat, from ground level to the highest
balconies. Its heavy masonry construction, including walls up to 4 feet
thick and 2-foot-thick cement-and-tile floor slabs, provides structural
stability and sound isolation. Materials like reddish-brown Roman brick
for the primary facades, combined with architectural terra cotta for
decorative elements such as band courses, arches, pilasters, and
friezes, create a mellowed, warm color palette that has aged gracefully.
Copper cornices and colonnades add subtle metallic accents, while the
overall aesthetic draws from Renaissance motifs selected with tasteful
discrimination, avoiding excess to maintain an intrinsic character and
integrity.
Exterior Architecture
The exterior facades are
architecturally restrained yet richly detailed, embodying the Italian
Renaissance Revival style with a focus on symmetry and proportion. The
primary entrance on 57th Street features a grand arcade with five arches
supported by granite pilasters, topped by an entablature inscribed
"Music Hall Founded by Andrew Carnegie" (the hall's original name before
being renamed in 1893). This facade extends upward with arcades,
balconies, and a frieze, culminating in a modified mansard roof that was
later converted into a vertical wall with balustrades for a more
imposing silhouette. The Seventh Avenue side includes four arches at the
base, blind brick openings, and similar terracotta embellishments,
giving the building a robust, government-like appearance from the
street. Upper stories incorporate brackets, colonnades, and domes (a
main dome and smaller corner domes on the southern wing), enhancing
verticality and visual interest. The 15- to 16-story tower section,
originally including artist studios with high ceilings and skylights,
rises prominently, contributing to the building's landmark status amid
surrounding urban development.
Interior Architecture and Halls
Internally, Carnegie Hall is divided into three main performance spaces
totaling 3,671 seats, each optimized for acoustics through curved walls,
ceilings, and the innovative Guastavino tile system—interlocking
terracotta tiles with mortar forming self-supporting arches and vaults.
This technique, along with strategic sound-reflecting surfaces, ensures
even sound distribution without amplification.
Isaac Stern
Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage: The largest hall, seating 2,804
across five levels (parquet with 1,021 seats in 25 full and 4 partial
rows, first tier with 264 seats in 65 boxes, second tier with 238 box
seats, Dress Circle with 444 seats in six rows, and balcony with 837
seats). This five-story elliptic space features a 42-foot-deep stage
(originally hydraulic, later reconfigured with wings and dressing
rooms), an elliptical proscenium arch supporting the ceiling, and
entrances via a three-story lobby with a barrel-vaulted ceiling,
coffered panels, pilasters, and gold accents. The interior uses
off-white and gold tones for elegance, with pilasters framing the stage
and curved elements enhancing acoustics.
Joan and Sanford I. Weill
Recital Hall: Located in the eastern wing, this intimate 268-seat venue
(196 orchestra seats and 72 balcony) has off-white walls, blue
upholstery, Palladian arches, and three amplifying chandeliers. The
proscenium, originally plywood, was removed for better sound. It
includes a dedicated lobby with pale colors and red metalwork,
convertible for lectures or receptions.
Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall:
In the southern wing below ground level, seating 599 (463 in parterre
with six boxes, 136 in mezzanine with four boxes), this flexible space
measures 114 feet long by 76 feet wide, with sycamore-paneled elliptical
concrete walls sloped at 7 degrees for soundproofing against street and
subway noise. The stage (44 feet wide by 25 feet deep) uses nine
liftable sections for end-stage or center configurations, accessed via
two escalators.
Additional interior spaces include upper-floor
offices, the Rose Museum with makore and anigre wood paneling, brass
capitals, and a coffered ceiling; Carnegie Hall Archives; and the Judith
and Burton Resnick Education Wing (added 2014) with 24 music rooms.
Former artist studios (133-150) featured high ceilings and skylights,
some replaced with glass roofs for natural light, now repurposed for
education and administration.
Acoustics and Design Innovations
A hallmark of Carnegie Hall's architecture is its world-renowned
acoustics, achieved without initial scientific testing but through
intuitive design. Curved ceilings and walls reflect sound for clarity,
while the Guastavino vaults and thick masonry isolate external noise
(e.g., from the nearby subway). Early reviews, including by Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky during the 1891 opening festival, praised the sound quality.
Modifications over time, such as removing concrete slabs in 1995 to
restore resonance, have preserved this feature.
Renovations and
Preservation
Carnegie Hall has evolved through several renovations to
maintain its functionality while preserving historic elements. In the
1940s, the stage was altered for film screenings and an organ
installation. The 1980s brought a $50 million overhaul (Polshek
Partnership), including facade restoration, air-conditioning, elevator
upgrades, lobby lowering to street level, and acoustic enhancements with
noise-absorbing panels. The 2003 $69 million Zankel Hall reconstruction
excavated 8,000 cubic yards of basement space, installed steel
frameworks, and added soundproofing near subway tunnels. By 2010,
studios were converted for offices, and the 2014 $230 million Resnick
Education Wing expanded educational facilities. These efforts, including
a public campaign in the 1950s led by violinist Isaac Stern to prevent
demolition, underscore the building's enduring cultural significance.
Carnegie Hall is made up of three different structures and presents a somewhat confusing internal layout. It has three auditoriums: the "Main Hall", the "Recital Hall" and the "Chamber Music Hall".
It has capacity for an audience of 2,804 spectators on five levels.
For reasons that are explained later, the official name of the Main Hall
is now "Isaac Stern Auditorium."
The Main Hall is admired for its
warmth and for having good acoustics. Isaac Stern once said: "It has
been said that the room by itself is an instrument." "It takes what you
do and turns it into something immortal."
The Main Hall is
incredibly tall, and to reach the upper balcony, visitors must climb 105
steps. Anywhere can be reached by elevator, except the upper level.
Since Carnegie Hall's creation, most of the greats of classical
music have performed in the Main Hall, and its lobbies are adorned with
autographed portraits and memorabilia.
The prestige of the venue
supposes the consecration of every artist who steps on its stage and can
be summed up in a smiling anecdote incorporated into the cultural
heritage: A tourist asks a New Yorker: "How do you get to Carnegie
Hall?", and he answers: " Practicing, practicing."
The other, smaller rooms, now called the "Judy and Arthur Zankel Room" and the "Joan and Sanford L. Weill Recital Room", hold 650 and 268 people, respectively. The two large auditoriums were renamed in 1986, after a total renovation. The Zankel Room had been leased to the AADA in 1898, and was converted into a movie theater around 1959. It was requested for use as an auditorium in 1997, and opened in September 2003. The site is home to the Rose Museum and the Carnegie Hall Archives, both recently added.