Stephen Foster Memorial
Encyclopedia
The Stephen Collins Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...

 Memorial
is a performing arts center, museum and archive at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

It is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...

 to the Schenley Farms National Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...

, is designated as a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 to support the preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....

 Historical Landmark, and is a landmark whose significance is designated by a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...

 Historical Marker. It is located along Forbes Avenue
Forbes Avenue
Forbes Avenue is one of the longest streets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has a length of about ten miles and is named for General John Forbes , whose expedition recaptured Fort Duquesne and who renamed the place Pittsburgh in 1758.The westernmost terminus of Forbes Avenue lies at...

 in the Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...

 neighborhood on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as Pitt.

The main structure houses the two theaters that server as performance spaces for the university's Department of Theatre Arts
University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre
The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre, or Pitt Rep, is the flagship theatre company for the University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts. Pitt Rep features students on stage with professional actors and teaching artists staging public performances of classic masterpieces,...

: the 478-seat Charity Randall Theatre and 151-seat Henry Heymann Theatre. The left wing of the building houses the Stephen Foster Memorial Museum and the Center for American Music which contains the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

's Foster Hall Collection that includes manuscripts, copies of over 200 of his musical compositions, examples of recordings, songsters, broadside, programs, books, various memorabilia, and several musical instruments, including one of Foster's pianos. The memorial is also home to the university's Ethelbert Nevin Collection and the Society for American Music
Society for American Music
The Society for American Music was founded in 1975 and was first named the Sonneck Society in honor of Oscar George Theodore Sonneck, early Chief of the Music Division in the Library of Congress and pioneer scholar of American music...

.

Building

The Stephen Foster Memorial, dedicated in 1937, is a steel-framed structure faced with the same Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....

 used for the university's Cathedral of Learning
Cathedral of Learning
The Cathedral of Learning, a Pittsburgh landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...

. It is one of two buildings, the other being Heinz Memorial Chapel
Heinz Memorial Chapel
Heinz Memorial Chapel is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....

, designed by its architect, Charles Klauder
Charles Klauder
Charles Zeller Klauder was an American architect best known for his work on university buildings and campus designs, especially his Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, the first educational skyscraper.-Biography:...

, to accompany his centerpiece Cathedral of Learning on the gothic revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 portion of the university's campus. The W.F. Trimble & Son's Company was contracted to help erect the building on March 2, 1935. It was constructed using 35000 cubic feet (991.1 m³) of Indiana limestone, 400 tons
Short ton
The short ton is a unit of mass equal to . In the United States it is often called simply ton without distinguishing it from the metric ton or the long ton ; rather, the other two are specifically noted. There are, however, some U.S...

 (360,000 kg) of steel, and 2500 cubic yards (1,911.4 m³) of concrete. In 2003, a $3.2 million renovation of the Stephen Foster Memorial, focusing on its theater facilities, was completed by Colker and Tom Wiley of Pittsburgh's WTW Architects.
The stone courtyard that is adjacent to the rear of the memorial, and sits between it and the south entrance to the Cathedral of Learning, is dedicated to memorial benefactor Josiah Kirby Lilly and is named in his honor. On the grounds of the memorial, near the Foster Shrine pavilion, sits a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...

 on a stone base, currently missing its gnomon
Gnomon
The gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. Gnomon is an ancient Greek word meaning "indicator", "one who discerns," or "that which reveals."It has come to be used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields....

, that was dedicated May 1914 to the Pittsburgh Blues of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

 by the Dolly Madison Chapter, U.S. Daughters of 1812
United States Daughters of 1812
The United States Daughters of 1812 is an American "volunteer women's service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving and increasing knowledge of the history of the American people." In its early years the group served "fraternal interests [of] women whose lineal ancestors...

. The sun dial was rededicated there on May 9, 1941.

The memorial building houses two theaters and, connected via a hallway, a memorial shrine dedicated to displaying items from the university's Foster Hall Collection. The Stephen Foster Memorial serves as the home for the Society for American Music
Society for American Music
The Society for American Music was founded in 1975 and was first named the Sonneck Society in honor of Oscar George Theodore Sonneck, early Chief of the Music Division in the Library of Congress and pioneer scholar of American music...

 and the University of Pittsburgh's Center for American's Music which encompasses a research library, archive and museum dedicated to expanding and documenting knowledge of American music
Music of the United States
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, barbershop, pop, techno, and rock and roll. The United States has the...

 and its role in American life.

Fred Kelly Lobby

The Fred Kelly Lobby, which serves as the lobby/foyer of the Charity Randall Theatre, is entered through the memorial's main Forbes Avenue-facing double red doors and contains two rectangular chandeliers by master metalworker Samuel Yellin
Samuel Yellin
Samuel Yellin , American master blacksmith, was born in Galicia Poland where at the age of eleven he was apprenticed to an iron master. By the age of sixteen he had completed his apprenticeship. During that period he gained the nickname of "Devil," both for his work habits and his sense of humor...

 of Philadelphia. The lobby also contains Charles Connick
Charles Connick
Charles Jay Connick was a prominent American painter, muralist, and designer best known for his work in stained glass in the Gothic Revival style. Born in Springboro, Pennsylvania, Connick eventually settled in the Boston area where he opened his studio in 1913...

 stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...

 windows depicting Shakespeare (misspelled "Shakespere") and Beethoven that are dedicated to memorial benefactor Josiah Kirby Lilly. The 2003 renovation of the memorial added new pieces of furniture to the lobby/foyer which including an octagonal upholstered banquette
Banquette
In fortification, a banquette is a small foot path or elevated step along the inside of a rampart or parapet, by which the musketeers get up to view the counterscarp, or to fire on the enemies in the moat...

, a ticket and concession stand, as well as a new wrought iron ring wheel chandelier. These three additions were designed by Pittsburgh architect Michael Chirigos whose work was inspired by the memorial's Gothic arches. The banquette's seats enclose arched cabinets showcasing playbills for future productions along with college and career memorabilia associated with Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...

's youngest brother, Fred. Both Kellys were Pitt graduates, and it was Fred who taught Gene and many others to dance. The display's cost was underwritten by Fred Kelly's family as an honor to his achievements as an influential choreographer who later became a pioneering television producer and director. The lobby also commemorates outstanding Pitt Theater alumni who are recipients of Department of Theatre Art's annual Fred Kelly Award.

Charity Randall Theatre

The main 478-seat traditional proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...

 theater, formerly known as the Foster Memorial Theatre, was renamed as the Charity Randall Theatre following a $2 million renovation in 2003. The theater was reconditioned to bring it up to code, update its equipment, and replicate the original conditions of the auditorium's features. These renovations were undertaken with donations from the Charity Randall Foundation which was established in 1977 to remember the sister of Pitt graduate and businessman Robert Randall and to support her interest in the arts after her death in a car accident. The plush, deep red seats, identical to those first installed New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

's Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...

, were reupholstered and their wrought iron frames and oak arms refinished to their original 1930s condition. The number of seats were reduced from 572 to 478, including the addition of 24 new freestanding balcony seats. Other auditorium improvements include new carpeting and new lighting that highlights the vaulted stone ceiling, as well as a restoration of the original Samuel Yellin designed chandelier. In addition, state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and production equipment was added, as well as a new rigging system, actors' restroom, and various stage improvements.

Henry Heymann Theatre

The downstairs of the memorial houses the 153-seat Henry Heymann Theatre, featuring a thrust stage
Thrust stage
In theatre, a thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performers and the audience than a proscenium, while retaining the utility of a backstage area...

 with seating on three sides. The theater honors the university's longtime scenic designer, and theater donor, Henry Heymann, who taught scenic design from 1968 until he retired in 1993. The Heymann Theatre was created in 2000 in a space that formerly served as the memorial's social room, which hosted USO
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...

 dances during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. A little-known tunnel also extends from the Heymann Theatre to under the loading dock level of the Cathedral of Learning, connecting the two buildings. During the 2003 renovations to the memorial, the downstairs dressing room area was reconfigured to accommodate three "star" dressing rooms and men's and women's showers. Another basement room serves as headquarters for the still-active Tuesday Musical Club, which initiated the original idea and drive for the construction of the Stephen Foster Memorial.

Foster Shrine

The left wing, composed of the pavilion of the Foster Shrine, is entered from the left of the building's foyer, which serves as the lobby of the Charity Randall Theatre, and through an entrance corridor that features Foster artifacts, a Foster bust, and five small casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...

s featuring Connick stained glass windows devoted to symbols of Stephen Foster and his songs. Moving along the corridor to the shrine, on the right is the entrance to the Foster Reading Room and library, which is home to much of the Foster collection, including its more fragile contents, that can be examined by appointment. Continuing on, the corridor opens into a 12-sided gothic chamber with lancet windows containing Connick stained glass medallions which illustrate various Foster songs. On display in the Shrine in and around Gothic-arched alcoves are Foster's piano, sheet music, broadsides
Broadside (music)
A broadside is a single sheet of cheap paper printed on one side, often with a ballad, rhyme, news and sometimes with woodcut illustrations...

, recordings, and other personal items and memorabilia. The 2003 renovation left the memorial shrine untouched, except for the addition of an unobtrusive fire suppression systems.

History

The memorial itself was conceived In 1927 when the Tuesday Musical Club, founded in 1889 by affluent female musicians, and University of Pittsburgh Chancellor John Bowman
John Gabbert Bowman
John Gabbert Bowman was the tenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and the ninth President of the University of Iowa....

 agreed to collaborate on a performance hall dedicated to Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...

 that would house the club's recitals. Bowman donated land adjacent to where the foundation for the Cathedral of Learning was being laid for the memorial. However, little progress on the memorial was made until 1932 when Bowman learned of Josiah Kirby Lilly's Foster Hall Collection. After Lilly pledged more than 10,000 Foster items, fund-raising began in earnest, with almost half the $550,000 cost coming from Lilly and his son, Eli
Eli Lilly (industrialist)
Eli Lilly was a pharmaceutical industrialist and philanthropist from Indiana, United States.- Business :Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Eli Lilly was President of Eli Lilly and Company. He was named for his grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly, who founded the family business...

. Construction began Jan. 13, 1935, the 71st anniversary of Foster's death. A dedication ceremony took place on June 2, 1937, Pitt's 150th anniversary.

The Foster Hall Collection itself was established in 1930 by Josiah Kirby Lilly, noted for being the president of the prominent Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...

. The collection originally began as a retirement hobby based upon his life-long love of Stephen Foster' s music, but it eventually grew into one of the major collections of American music and history. Lilly and his staff, with the help of some of Foster's relatives, as well as through contributions prompted by the publication of the Foster Hall Bulletin, accumulated over 10,000 Foster items. This initial collection was housed in Indianapolis in a small limestone building he called "Foster Hall." Before his effort began, there had been no exact knowledge concerning the total number of Foster's works, nor any accurate literature published about the composer. Foster Hall's staff identified 201 original works, and Foster Hall became a resource center for John Tasker Howard's biography Stephen Foster: America's Troubadour (1934). Concerned about the future of his collection, Lilly donated the Foster Hall's holdings to the University of Pittsburgh's new Stephen Foster Memorial and the collection was moved to its new home in 1937. Since then, some additional 20,000 items reflecting Foster, composers influenced by him, and music in American life have been added.

The university's Center for American Music also houses the Ethelbert Nevin Collection, which was previously housed in the Theodore M. Finny Music Library until 1999. The Nevin Collection was acquired by the University of Pittsburgh between 1933 and 1956. The materials in the collection were either purchased or donated by Mrs. Ethelbert Nevin, other family members, and friends. The collection consists of original manuscripts, letters, mementos, furnishings, printed matter, and special gifts.

Aside from maintaining the collections and museum, The Center for American Music's projects include Voices Across Time, a curriculum support package that allows teachers to integrate historic American Music into their classrooms. The Center also has undertaken Resources of American History II that will provide global online access access to music scores, papers, sound recordings, and other American music-related materials in its archives.

External links



Panoramic tours

Video
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK