Miller Symphony Hall: Difference between revisions
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The Lyric opened with a comic opera production based on the life of 18th century Prussian King Frederick the Great.<ref name="Whelan"/> The theater offered [[vaudeville]], [[opera]]s, [[Play (theatre)|plays]], dramatic skits, [[minstrel shows]], films and concerts,<ref name="relics"/> and also became one of the leading [[burlesque]] halls in the United States. On December 1, 1910, French stage actress [[Sarah Bernhardt]] made a one-night appearance at the Lyric.<ref name="bernhardt">{{Citation |last=Whelan | first=Frank | title=Let Us Entertain You Decade Sees Movies Rise And Vaudeville Decline Defining America: The 1910s A Decade Of Immigration.| newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] | pages=E.01 | date=April 18, 1999}}</ref> In 1912, it was the site of speeches by [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Woodrow Wilson]] and [[Booker T. Washington]].<ref name="Allentown">{{cite web| url=http://www.allentownpa.org/text/placestovisit.htm | title=Historical Allentown | accessdate=2007-05-27 }}</ref> |
The Lyric opened with a comic opera production based on the life of 18th century Prussian King Frederick the Great.<ref name="Whelan"/> The theater offered [[vaudeville]], [[opera]]s, [[Play (theatre)|plays]], dramatic skits, [[minstrel shows]], films and concerts,<ref name="relics"/> and also became one of the leading [[burlesque]] halls in the United States. On December 1, 1910, French stage actress [[Sarah Bernhardt]] made a one-night appearance at the Lyric.<ref name="bernhardt">{{Citation |last=Whelan | first=Frank | title=Let Us Entertain You Decade Sees Movies Rise And Vaudeville Decline Defining America: The 1910s A Decade Of Immigration.| newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] | pages=E.01 | date=April 18, 1999}}</ref> In 1912, it was the site of speeches by [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Woodrow Wilson]] and [[Booker T. Washington]].<ref name="Allentown">{{cite web| url=http://www.allentownpa.org/text/placestovisit.htm | title=Historical Allentown | accessdate=2007-05-27 }}</ref> |
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[[File:1905 - Lyric Theater.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Lyric Theater in the 1910s]] |
[[File:1905 - Lyric Theater.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Lyric Theater in the 1910s]] |
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During [[World War I]], Allentown was the home of a large Army training camp, [[Camp Crane]], where thousands of recruits were indoctrinated into the military as ambulance drivers before being sent overseas to France. The Lyric, although primarily a stage theater, was adapted to show silent films to entertain the troops that came into the city for recreation.<ref name="LCHS">Hellerich, Mahlon H, and Pennsylvania) Lehigh County Historical Society Allentown. Allentown, 1762–1987 : a 225-year history. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Lehigh County Historical Society, 1987</ref><ref name="Whelan22">[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7784392_ITM Historic 1917-era theater gets a new owner in Allentown, Pa.]</ref> Oliver "Ollie" Gernert, the treasurer of the Lyric, took note that when the Lyric showed a movie, it was packed with soldiers, but when it presented a play |
During [[World War I]], Allentown was the home of a large Army training camp, [[Camp Crane]], where thousands of recruits were indoctrinated into the military as ambulance drivers before being sent overseas to France. The Lyric, although primarily a stage theater, was adapted to show silent films to entertain the troops that came into the city for recreation.<ref name="LCHS">Hellerich, Mahlon H, and Pennsylvania) Lehigh County Historical Society Allentown. Allentown, 1762–1987 : a 225-year history. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Lehigh County Historical Society, 1987</ref><ref name="Whelan22">[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7784392_ITM Historic 1917-era theater gets a new owner in Allentown, Pa.]</ref> Oliver "Ollie" Gernert, the treasurer of the Lyric, took note that when the Lyric showed a movie, it was packed with soldiers, but when it presented a stage play, many seats were empty. Gernert believed that a cinema-only theater would be extremely profitable, and if it owned by someone who worked for the Lyric, there would be no conflict of interest as the Lyric could continue to present stage shows.<ref name="Whelan22"/> The Orpheum Theater, located next to the Lyric at Sixth and Linden, was primarily a vaudeville theater. It was decided to construct a new cinema-only theater and return the Lyric to a stage theater only. The cinema, known as [[Strand Theater (Allentown, Pennsylvania)|"The Stand"]] was erected during the summer of 1917 on North Eighth Street, and it opened to a full auditorium on 8 October of that year.<ref name="Whelan22"/> |
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By the early 1920s the Lyric sported a new neo-classical facade, done by Allentown’s first Jewish architect, David Levy, and had become one of the nation’s leading “tryout” theaters, a place where shows appeared before being taken to Broadway.<ref name="Whelan"/> The [[Marx Brothers]] debuted the musical revue ''[[I'll Say She Is]]'' at the Lyric in 1923.<ref name="whowho">{{Citation |last=Kohl | first=John Y. |title='Who's Who' Of Show Business Played The Orpheum In Allentown.| newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] | pages=E.01 | date=April 9, 1999}}</ref> The show would go on for a long run in Philadelphia, and became a hit on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]].<ref name="collector">{{Citation |last=Marcovitz | first=Hal |title=Collector Won't Let Laughter Fade Away.| newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] | pages=N.01 | date=September 6, 1990}}</ref> In 1926 the Lyric stepped briefly into an international spotlight when it became the first theater in America to show “Ashes of Love,” a play written by a titled English lady, Vera Countess of Cathcart, whose scandalous divorce led to her briefly being kept out of the U.S. on grounds of “moral turpitude. <ref name="Whelan"/> |
By the early 1920s the Lyric was renovated and sported a new neo-classical facade, done by Allentown’s first Jewish architect, David Levy, and had become one of the nation’s leading “tryout” theaters, a place where new stage shows appeared before being taken to Broadway.<ref name="Whelan"/> The [[Marx Brothers]] debuted the musical revue ''[[I'll Say She Is]]'' at the Lyric in 1923.<ref name="whowho">{{Citation |last=Kohl | first=John Y. |title='Who's Who' Of Show Business Played The Orpheum In Allentown.| newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] | pages=E.01 | date=April 9, 1999}}</ref> The show would go on for a long run in Philadelphia, and became a hit on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]].<ref name="collector">{{Citation |last=Marcovitz | first=Hal |title=Collector Won't Let Laughter Fade Away.| newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] | pages=N.01 | date=September 6, 1990}}</ref> In 1926 the Lyric stepped briefly into an international spotlight when it became the first theater in America to show “Ashes of Love,” a play written by a titled English lady, Vera Countess of Cathcart, whose scandalous divorce led to her briefly being kept out of the U.S. on grounds of “moral turpitude. <ref name="Whelan"/> |
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With the advent of the [[Great Depression]], the fortunes of the theater seriously declined. The number of new plays on the traveling theater tryout circuit was reduced dramatically. There were not enough plays to keep the theater running full time. Empty seats in thee theater and an increasing number of nights without a show to present forced the theater managers to book other sorts of entertainment unlike those they had run before. As a result, Boxing matches and appearances by marginal entertainers such as Busty Russell and Ding Dong Bell, that suggested their talents were more physical than strictly theatrical, were considered all it was good for. Prize fights and burlesque strip shows may not have been the most decorous forms of entertainment, but they “filled the hall,” as the saying went, and paid the rent. However, by the end of World War II, it seemed that the Lyric Theater had its best days behind it. <ref name="Whelan"/> |
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===Allentown Symphony Hall=== |
===Allentown Symphony Hall=== |
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[[Image:AllentownSymphonyHallLogo.jpg|right|thumb|Venue logo.]] |
[[Image:AllentownSymphonyHallLogo.jpg|right|thumb|Venue logo.]] |
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[[File:2013 - Miller Symphony Hall - Auditorium.jpg|thumb|Miller Symphony Hall Auditorium]] |
[[File:2013 - Miller Symphony Hall - Auditorium.jpg|thumb|Miller Symphony Hall Auditorium]] |
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In the 1940s, the Lyric became the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Allentown Community Concert Association. About 4,000 to 5,000 local concertgoers attended concerts at the Lyric from 1945 to 1952.<ref name="relics"/> In addition to the Symphony concerts, burlesque shows kept bringing in the crowds. The seemingly incongruous relationship was profiled in Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine. “There they have burlesque every Saturday night — in Symphony Hall. … It’s doubtless the only symphony in the country that is partly supported by burlesque.”<ref>[http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/entertainment-general/index.ssf/2012/02/burlesque_is_back.html Burlesque is back - Artistic community sees a resurgence in bygone entertainment, Lehigh Valley Live, By Kelly Huth | The Express-Times on February 26, 2012]</ref> |
In the late 1940s, the Lyric became the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Allentown Community Concert Association. About 4,000 to 5,000 local concertgoers attended concerts at the Lyric from 1945 to 1952.<ref name="relics"/> In addition to the Symphony concerts, burlesque shows kept bringing in the crowds. The seemingly incongruous relationship was profiled in Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine. “There they have burlesque every Saturday night — in Symphony Hall. … It’s doubtless the only symphony in the country that is partly supported by burlesque.”<ref>[http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/entertainment-general/index.ssf/2012/02/burlesque_is_back.html Burlesque is back - Artistic community sees a resurgence in bygone entertainment, Lehigh Valley Live, By Kelly Huth | The Express-Times on February 26, 2012]</ref> |
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However, by the late 1950s, the Lyric |
However, by the late 1950s, the Lyric was not profitable and plans were made to sell the property from I. Hirst Enterprises, Inc. to Park & Shop, a parking lot company and use the land for parking in support of the Allentown Central Business District and Americus Hotel.<ref name="Whelan"/> However, as the theater was about to be demolished, Donald and Sam Miller put together a plan to purchase the building for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. On June 2, 1959, the Allentown Symphony Board meeting, which was held at the home of Samuel Miller, Donald Miller made the presentation to the board regarding the status of the Lyric Theatre, whereby he says unless the Symphony purchases the building it would be demolished. The Allentown Symphony Association approved the purchase of the Lyric Theater for $110,000 which with today’s inflation it is estimated to be about $875,000. At the board meeting on June 16, 1959 at the home of Paul Anewalts, loans were secured and approved with the First National Bank of Allentown for the purchase. Two committees were appointed, and a chairman for each was named: Building Committee, Mr. Donald Miller, and Operating Committee, Mr. Walter Strothman. The Lyric Theater was purchased on July 14, 1959. Later, the building was renamed Allentown Symphony Hall. <ref name="relics"/> |
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===Miller Symphony Hall=== |
===Miller Symphony Hall=== |
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Revision as of 11:38, 10 January 2016
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| Former names | Lyric Theatre, Allentown Symphony Hall |
|---|---|
| Location | 23 North 6th St. Allentown, Pennsylvania United States |
| Owner | Allentown Symphony Orchestra |
| Type | Concert hall |
| Seating type | Reserved |
| Capacity | 1,200 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1896-1899 |
| Website | |
| www.millersymphonyhall.com | |
The historic, 1200-seat Miller Symphony Hall, formerly known as the Allentown Symphony Hall, is the premier performing arts facility in Allentown, the largest city in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.
Allentown Symphony Association
The Mission of the Allentown Symphony Association is "to provide a first-class symphony orchestra and Hall, quality performing arts, and cultural education in partnership with the community."
The theater maintains a full production schedule of non-orchestral performances, including the new Symphony Hall Pops Series, Jazz Cabaret Series, Backstage Chamber Series, Musical Treasure Chest series for small children and their families, and a variety of Special Events.
In addition to the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Miller Symphony Hall also serves as home to the Pennsylvania Sinfonia, Community Concerts of Allentown, the Allentown Band, the Community Music School of the Lehigh Valley and the annual Nutcracker performance of Repertory Dance Theatre.
History
Origins
Miller Symphony Hall's heritage dates back to 1817 when Northampton Town got its first farmer's market on Center Square. It was a wood and stone building. In 1848 that building was consumed by fire when most of the Allentown Central Business District burned down. It was rebuilt in 1859 at the corner of Church Street and Linden. In the mid 1890s, a new Central Market was built at the northeast corner of Sixth and Court Streets. However, it was not successful economically.[1] By the late 1890s concerts were being held there and in 1899, the structure was converted to a theater by the firm of J.B. McElfatrick.[2] The Lyric was designed as a legitimate theater for plays. Its name came about as the result of a contest, a five dollar gold piece being offered for the best choice.[3]
Lyric Theater
The Lyric opened with a comic opera production based on the life of 18th century Prussian King Frederick the Great.[3] The theater offered vaudeville, operas, plays, dramatic skits, minstrel shows, films and concerts,[2] and also became one of the leading burlesque halls in the United States. On December 1, 1910, French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt made a one-night appearance at the Lyric.[4] In 1912, it was the site of speeches by Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Booker T. Washington.[5]
During World War I, Allentown was the home of a large Army training camp, Camp Crane, where thousands of recruits were indoctrinated into the military as ambulance drivers before being sent overseas to France. The Lyric, although primarily a stage theater, was adapted to show silent films to entertain the troops that came into the city for recreation.[6][7] Oliver "Ollie" Gernert, the treasurer of the Lyric, took note that when the Lyric showed a movie, it was packed with soldiers, but when it presented a stage play, many seats were empty. Gernert believed that a cinema-only theater would be extremely profitable, and if it owned by someone who worked for the Lyric, there would be no conflict of interest as the Lyric could continue to present stage shows.[7] The Orpheum Theater, located next to the Lyric at Sixth and Linden, was primarily a vaudeville theater. It was decided to construct a new cinema-only theater and return the Lyric to a stage theater only. The cinema, known as "The Stand" was erected during the summer of 1917 on North Eighth Street, and it opened to a full auditorium on 8 October of that year.[7]
By the early 1920s the Lyric was renovated and sported a new neo-classical facade, done by Allentown’s first Jewish architect, David Levy, and had become one of the nation’s leading “tryout” theaters, a place where new stage shows appeared before being taken to Broadway.[3] The Marx Brothers debuted the musical revue I'll Say She Is at the Lyric in 1923.[8] The show would go on for a long run in Philadelphia, and became a hit on Broadway.[9] In 1926 the Lyric stepped briefly into an international spotlight when it became the first theater in America to show “Ashes of Love,” a play written by a titled English lady, Vera Countess of Cathcart, whose scandalous divorce led to her briefly being kept out of the U.S. on grounds of “moral turpitude. [3]
With the advent of the Great Depression, the fortunes of the theater seriously declined. The number of new plays on the traveling theater tryout circuit was reduced dramatically. There were not enough plays to keep the theater running full time. Empty seats in thee theater and an increasing number of nights without a show to present forced the theater managers to book other sorts of entertainment unlike those they had run before. As a result, Boxing matches and appearances by marginal entertainers such as Busty Russell and Ding Dong Bell, that suggested their talents were more physical than strictly theatrical, were considered all it was good for. Prize fights and burlesque strip shows may not have been the most decorous forms of entertainment, but they “filled the hall,” as the saying went, and paid the rent. However, by the end of World War II, it seemed that the Lyric Theater had its best days behind it. [3]
Allentown Symphony Hall
In the late 1940s, the Lyric became the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Allentown Community Concert Association. About 4,000 to 5,000 local concertgoers attended concerts at the Lyric from 1945 to 1952.[2] In addition to the Symphony concerts, burlesque shows kept bringing in the crowds. The seemingly incongruous relationship was profiled in Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine. “There they have burlesque every Saturday night — in Symphony Hall. … It’s doubtless the only symphony in the country that is partly supported by burlesque.”[10]
However, by the late 1950s, the Lyric was not profitable and plans were made to sell the property from I. Hirst Enterprises, Inc. to Park & Shop, a parking lot company and use the land for parking in support of the Allentown Central Business District and Americus Hotel.[3] However, as the theater was about to be demolished, Donald and Sam Miller put together a plan to purchase the building for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. On June 2, 1959, the Allentown Symphony Board meeting, which was held at the home of Samuel Miller, Donald Miller made the presentation to the board regarding the status of the Lyric Theatre, whereby he says unless the Symphony purchases the building it would be demolished. The Allentown Symphony Association approved the purchase of the Lyric Theater for $110,000 which with today’s inflation it is estimated to be about $875,000. At the board meeting on June 16, 1959 at the home of Paul Anewalts, loans were secured and approved with the First National Bank of Allentown for the purchase. Two committees were appointed, and a chairman for each was named: Building Committee, Mr. Donald Miller, and Operating Committee, Mr. Walter Strothman. The Lyric Theater was purchased on July 14, 1959. Later, the building was renamed Allentown Symphony Hall. [2]
Miller Symphony Hall
In 2006, a $10 million, 15-year renovation project was completed that repaired the exterior and roof, upgraded patron seating and lobby areas, created rehearsal, office and reception spaces, and added an entire wing with new lobby, teaching and dressing room spaces. In addition, the renovation project completed an upgrade of the Symphony Hall stage and constructed a new acoustical shell. [2]
In recognition and appreciation for the Miller family, November 10, 2012, the Board of the Allentown Symphony Association changed the name to Miller Symphony Hall.[11]
See also
References
- ^ Allentown Farmers Market is hallowed by Pennsylvania German tradition, Frank Whelan, WFMZ, 24 February 2012
- ^ a b c d e Lathrop, Marie (August 12, 1991), "Rebuilders Find 90 Years Of History At Symphony Hall.", The Morning Call, pp. B.01
- ^ a b c d e f History's Headlines: Allentown's Miller Symphony Hall continues to make history Frank Whelan, WFMZ, 30 November 2012
- ^ Whelan, Frank (April 18, 1999), "Let Us Entertain You Decade Sees Movies Rise And Vaudeville Decline Defining America: The 1910s A Decade Of Immigration.", The Morning Call, pp. E.01
- ^ "Historical Allentown". Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ Hellerich, Mahlon H, and Pennsylvania) Lehigh County Historical Society Allentown. Allentown, 1762–1987 : a 225-year history. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Lehigh County Historical Society, 1987
- ^ a b c Historic 1917-era theater gets a new owner in Allentown, Pa.
- ^ Kohl, John Y. (April 9, 1999), "'Who's Who' Of Show Business Played The Orpheum In Allentown.", The Morning Call, pp. E.01
- ^ Marcovitz, Hal (September 6, 1990), "Collector Won't Let Laughter Fade Away.", The Morning Call, pp. N.01
- ^ Burlesque is back - Artistic community sees a resurgence in bygone entertainment, Lehigh Valley Live, By Kelly Huth | The Express-Times on February 26, 2012
- ^ "An Historic Change Has Been Made at Allentown Symphony Hall".
40°36′14″N 75°28′11″W / 40.603753°N 75.46971°W