Orchestra Hall, Detroit
Encyclopedia
Orchestra Hall is a concert hall located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in midtown
Detroit, Michigan
. The hall is renowned for its superior acoustic
properties and serves as the home of the internationally known Detroit Symphony Orchestra
(DSO), the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States. With the creation of an adjoining auditorium for jazz and chamber music in 2003, Orchestra Hall became part of the Max M. Fisher Music Center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra had previously played at the old Detroit Opera House. However, Ossip Gabrilowitsch
demanded that the DSO build a suitable auditorium before he assumed his position as music director. Construction on Orchestra Hall began on June 6, 1919, and was completed in barely five months.
The 2014-seat hall was designed by the noted theater architect, C. Howard Crane
. The first concert took place on October 23, 1919 and the hall remained the home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
until 1939. Due to the financial difficulties of the Great Depression
, the orchestra was compelled to leave Orchestra Hall and enter into a more economical arrangement to share the Masonic Temple Theatre
. Orchestra Hall sat vacant until it was purchased by new owners. It reopened as the Paradise Theater on Christmas Eve 1941, and became a major jazz venue, hosting renowned jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald
, Billie Holiday
, Count Basie
, and Duke Ellington
.
The Paradise closed in 1951. The building was abandoned for many years and eventually scheduled for demolition. Assistant Principal DSO bassoonist Paul Ganson spearheaded a movement to rediscover Orchestra Hall and raise funds to restore it. An early goal was attained in 1971 when the hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
Renovation work started in 1970 and continued for about two decades, costing roughly $6.8 million. The long deteriorating building required extensive renovations including: a new stage, all new seating, plaster and lath work, and restoration of historical decorations. All of the restoration work was completed with the goal of maintaining the fine acoustic properties that the hall was historically known for. The DSO moved back into Orchestra Hall in 1989.
Additional work on the hall was done in the summer months of 2002 and 2003 as part of the creation of the new Max M Fisher Music Center, or "MAX", as it is known. The work included renovations to the original facility as well as an expansion which houses additional lobbies and reception areas, dressing rooms and storage facilities, rehearsal space and a 450-seat venue for more intimate performances.
The mayor of Detroit delivers the annual State of the City address at Orchestra Hall.
Midtown, Detroit
The Midtown area in Detroit is a mixed-use area located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue between Downtown Detroit and the New Center. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway on the east, the Lodge Freeway on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway on the...
Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The hall is renowned for its superior acoustic
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
properties and serves as the home of the internationally known Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
(DSO), the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States. With the creation of an adjoining auditorium for jazz and chamber music in 2003, Orchestra Hall became part of the Max M. Fisher Music Center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971.
History
Ossip Gabrilowitsch
Ossip Gabrilowitsch was a Russian-born American pianist, conductor and composer.- Biography :...
demanded that the DSO build a suitable auditorium before he assumed his position as music director. Construction on Orchestra Hall began on June 6, 1919, and was completed in barely five months.
The 2014-seat hall was designed by the noted theater architect, C. Howard Crane
C. Howard Crane
Charles Howard Crane was an American architect.Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Crane established a practice in Detroit, Michigan early in the 20th Century. Like Thomas W. Lamb and John Eberson, Crane specialized in the design of movie palaces in North American...
. The first concert took place on October 23, 1919 and the hall remained the home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
until 1939. Due to the financial difficulties of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the orchestra was compelled to leave Orchestra Hall and enter into a more economical arrangement to share the Masonic Temple Theatre
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
. Orchestra Hall sat vacant until it was purchased by new owners. It reopened as the Paradise Theater on Christmas Eve 1941, and became a major jazz venue, hosting renowned jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, and Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
.
The Paradise closed in 1951. The building was abandoned for many years and eventually scheduled for demolition. Assistant Principal DSO bassoonist Paul Ganson spearheaded a movement to rediscover Orchestra Hall and raise funds to restore it. An early goal was attained in 1971 when the hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Renovation work started in 1970 and continued for about two decades, costing roughly $6.8 million. The long deteriorating building required extensive renovations including: a new stage, all new seating, plaster and lath work, and restoration of historical decorations. All of the restoration work was completed with the goal of maintaining the fine acoustic properties that the hall was historically known for. The DSO moved back into Orchestra Hall in 1989.
Additional work on the hall was done in the summer months of 2002 and 2003 as part of the creation of the new Max M Fisher Music Center, or "MAX", as it is known. The work included renovations to the original facility as well as an expansion which houses additional lobbies and reception areas, dressing rooms and storage facilities, rehearsal space and a 450-seat venue for more intimate performances.
The mayor of Detroit delivers the annual State of the City address at Orchestra Hall.