Music Hall makeover takes center stage
This story originally published 2/28/2016
Within 90 days, Music Hall is set to close for the most complex renovation in its nearly 140-year history. Now, the public is getting a first look at the renovation plans.
The plans reveal:
- A much smaller Springer Auditorium with about 1,000 fewer seats, although the new seats will be wider with more leg room. There also will be new boxes, a resloped main floor and balconies and a “thrust stage” on which the orchestra will play.
- A bright, freshened lobby (renamed the Edyth B. Lindner Grand Foyer) with torchiere lighting along the balcony railings to highlight the coffered ceiling and replacing the smaller Czech crystal chandeliers.
- New amenities including a lounge just behind the concert hall, bars and concession areas, and LED screens, in addition to major overhauls to the box office and gift shop.
- Now bricked-up, the windows, adding to Music Hall's fortress-like exterior presence, will be restored to allow more light inside and new accent lighting will illuminate the building at night.
- Improved access for people with mobility issues, with two new elevators reaching all levels of the building.
Here’s what you won’t see:
- The two escalators in the South Hall. Instead, there is a one-way, efficient escalator that changes direction before and after shows. The escalator is adjacent to a new grand staircase, matching the existing one in the North Hall.
- Patrons may no longer enter through the “timeline” entrance off of Central Parkway. You will have to enter by the “front door” facing Washington Park.
- Most of the seats deep under balconies are eliminated.
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The renovation, under discussion for roughly a decade, is the first major renovation of Cincinnati’s most important performance space in more than 40 years.
“This is probably one of the most prominent renovation/restoration projects of a performing arts facility in the country right now. It’s a significant piece of architecture, by a prominent local architect, and it’s a massive edifice that fronts a beautiful park,” said Alan Weiskopf, lead architect of the project and managing principal of Pittsburgh-based architecture firm Perfido, Weiskopf, Wagstaff + Goettel.
Smaller parts of the renovation such as structural work and office demolition have already started. Over the past two months, the resident companies of Music Hall – the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra, Cincinnati May Festival and Cincinnati Opera – have moved their offices. Concerts and events will continue at Music Hall through May.
But the project's price tag has now crept up to $135 million and there's $5 million left to raise.
Leaders of the renovation project are not fazed by the deficit.
"I have no reason to doubt that that $5 million shortfall will be achieved, and we will have the $135 million, a combination of public and private support, committed," said businessman and philanthropist Otto Budig Jr., board chair of the nonprofit Music Hall Revitalization Co. which is spearheading the project. "When you consider that $64 million has come from the generosity of this community, it is a testament to what we’re doing, and a testament to the value of the project itself."
The Over-the-Rhine landmark opened in 1878 is home to the region's largest performing arts groups. About 250,000 people buy tickets to events at Music Hall annually.
Music Hall will completely shut down on June 1. If all goes well, it will reopen in fall 2017.
So what happens in the next three months? The short answer: A lot.
A public campaign is under way to fill the funding gap. About 100,000 requests will be sent to the mailing lists of the resident companies.
Plans soon will go before the city’s Historic Conservation Board and City Council.
“It’s crunch time for everybody,” said Stephen Leeper, president and CEO of Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. “We’ve got to get the financing together, the design finished, we’ve got to get the pricing done. ... Right now, for the next 90 days, I think everyone’s nervous and maybe a little afraid. But then comes June 1, and we’ve got 15 months or so where we’ve got to deliver.”
Things you will see after the renovation
The most critical area to be changed is Music Hall’s storied concert space, Springer Auditorium. False walls will be erected on two levels, with the plan of creating a more intimate hall with better presence of sound. (The gallery level walls will not be changed.) About 1,000 seats will be removed, and there will be new boxes.
“Music Hall has an aura and reputation for the quality of its acoustics. There’s a warmth and a roundness to the sound that most of us appreciate,” said Trey Devey, Cincinnati Symphony president. “Underneath the balconies, there is a bell curve in terms of the quality of seats at Music Hall that’s real. There are certain areas that are dead spots in the orchestra level, as well as in the boxes. The idea is to make every seat at Music Hall the best.”
A new extension, or orchestra “lift,” will be added to the stage for orchestra concerts. Acoustical consultant Paul Scarbrough of Connecticut-based Akustiks conducted tests in the hall with the orchestra playing on a similar stage extension, and consulted with music director Louis Langrée about orchestra risers. The balcony and gallery will be made steeper to preserve sightlines.
The orchestra floor is being reconstructed with concrete and a new heating and cooling system will be installed under the seating area. The floor’s surface will be covered with wood, consistent with Music Hall’s past, architects said.
Are these changes risky, especially when dealing with a historic building that is well-known for its warm acoustical aura?
“We’re using a construction technique that we’ve used successfully in concert halls and opera houses throughout the United States, Europe and North and South America,” Scarbrough said.
More things to know about
New box office: A new box office for all of the resident companies will be located at a street-level entrance along Elm Street. Modern elevators from the box office lobby will connect audience members to all of Music Hall’s levels including the ballroom.
New music library: The world's largest orchestra library will exist in one fire-protected room on the building's first floor instead of, as now, stored haphazardly around the building. The entire library represents more than 140 years of music, 120 years for the symphony alone. The collection features music for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops, May Festival Chorus, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, Vocal Arts Ensemble, Classical Roots Community Mass Choir and May Festival Youth Chorus.
Packing up to preserve a musical treasure
Restrooms: Leaders from Music Hall resident companies say complaints about bathrooms are among the top concerns among event-goers. New restrooms and more restroom fixtures for women, men and families are being added in the building. The number of restroom fixtures is increasing 62 percent throughout Music Hall.
A new acoustical shell: Behind the orchestra, a line of acoustical towers will be repurposed from the current towers for symphony and choral performances. They will be faced with new materials, making them a better marriage aesthetically for the hall. In addition, there will be clear glass acoustical “clouds” overhead. Onstage, orchestra musicians will play on a new set of risers to help lines of sight for the audience as well as for sections within the orchestra. Acousticians believe the risers will also improve the musicians' ability to hear each other.
A more accessible building: Officials from the Music Hall Revitalization Co. said they established an advisory group a few years ago to get ideas about how the historic building's accessibility features can be improved. Those talks involved community members including City Councilman Kevin Flynn and local disability and civil rights advocate Robert Harris.
Improvements include:
- The old front canopy and long wheelchair access ramp on Elm Street will be removed. People with mobility issues will have street-level access to the building through the box office.
- More wheelchair accessible seating will be available in Springer Auditorium and certain locations will feature motorized wheelchair charging stations.
- Adding an assisted listening system inside the auditorium will aid people who are hard of hearing or have sight impairments.
"Most architects doing a renovation like this will try to comply with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)," Flynn said. "Here, they went above and beyond. I couldn’t be happier with the effort that’s going on. That's not easy" in such an old building.
Key questions remain
What will be the project’s final price tag?
It's not immediately clear. Leeper, of 3CDC, said he's confident construction estimates and a contingency will allow the $135 million budget to hold steady. That said, there is still more project planning left.
Where’s the rest of the money coming from?
A public campaign is underway to raise more donations.
What will more than 1,000 fewer seats in Music Hall mean for the ticket buying public?
Otto Budig: With fewer seats, there will be more demand. "(We'll) move from a point where you can say in the afternoon, 'We know they’re going to have tickets available, we’re not going to worry about getting them in advance.' We want you to be able to say, 'We have to get those tickets because they’re going to be sold out.' That’s what we’re trying to achieve."
What will fewer seats mean for the resident companies?
Trey Devey, CSO president: "With the proposed capacity, 90 percent of our performances would be unaffected. Most are performed to 2,200 audience members or fewer. There are occasions where we have sold out Music Hall. In that case, we can add a performance. In some cases, we won’t have the flexibility to add another performance, and we will sell out, usually five or six times a year. So as we consider the trade-offs, when you have audience members in the balcony and gallery who are squeezed into 19-inch wide seats, with 33-inch row-to-row length, from a revenue perspective, I would rather have everyone coming to our performances have a comfortable experience, one that they’re eager to come back to Music Hall."
Patricia Beggs, Cincinnati Opera general director and CEO: "We typically have 2,600 to 2,800 (attendees), with other sellouts. We’ve talked about a reduction in seats for many years. We came to the same conclusion years ago. It will be a better experience for people who come because they’ll be able to see better, and the overall experience will be more comfortable. We will have the option of adding more performances, or just selling out."
Where will resident companies perform during the renovation?
The resident companies will be displaced to other Downtown auditoriums for at least one full season: The CSO, Pops and May Festival will perform their 2016-17 seasons at the recently renovated Taft Theatre. Cincinnati Opera will perform its 2016 and 2017 seasons at the Aronoff Center.
Show goes on in Music Hall, despite construction
More questions await decision making, including:
What's the new color palette?
How will the seats look?
How will city and state historic conservation entities receive the project?
Will the already good acoustics be affected?
Can Music Hall’s historic charm be retained after the renovation?
What will the resident companies do if there are construction delays?
Who is involved in the project?
The Music Hall Revitalization Co. was formed in 2010 to oversee improvements at Music Hall. The city of Cincinnati still owns Music Hall, but it leased the venue in December 2012 to the revitalization company to support a massive overhaul of the building. The revitalization company appointed 3CDC to manage the project.
“I fully trust that 3CDC will do a great job as they have in so many other ways," said Mayor John Cranley. "This project fits well with its expertise. 3CDC recognizes what a terrific asset Music Hall is for both Over-the-Rhine and the entire region.”
The consultants on the project include acoustics consulting firm Akustiks, architecture firm Martinez + Johnson, architecture firm Perfido, Weiskopf, Wagstaff + Goettel, theater consultant Schuler Shook, and general contractor Messer Construction.
Why Music Hall matters
It’s much more than a building. On the National Register of Historic Places, Music Hall, built in 1878 by Samuel Hannaford's firm, is recognized as one of the great musical venues in North America. With 3,417 seats and 1 million cubic feet of space, it is one of the largest halls in America. Despite its size, performers and listeners have always praised Springer Auditorium’s acoustics. And that sound is world-renowned: Cincinnati Pops albums recorded there have sold more than 10 million copies.
The building is the heart and soul of Cincinnati’s culture. Generations of Cincinnatians have arrived in school buses for children’s concerts, or walked up its broad aisles to receive high school diplomas. Its spaces – actually three separate buildings – have hosted weddings, balls, nightclubs, University of Cincinnati basketball games, boxing matches, the nation's first licensed educational TV station (WCET) and even the Democratic National Convention of 1880.
As for stars who have crossed its stage, a small sampling includes Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Sergei Rachmaninoff, maestro Fritz Reiner, violinist Isaac Stern, composer Aaron Copland, opera’s Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti and Kathleen Battle, native maestro James Levine, dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen.
And recently, tens of thousands of people thronged to Washington Park for three summers to see Lumenocity, a play of light across the façade of Music Hall synced to live orchestral music.
The challenge for the design team – announced in September – is to retain Music Hall’s grandeur while bringing the hall up to 21st century standards. And the scope is immense.
"We have a building with tremendous character. It is a national landmark. It is a tax-credit project that involves the state Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. But we also have a building that is woefully decrepit in many areas, and in its systems. It has been manipulated over the years an unbelievable amount. There isn’t much that hasn’t been touched in this building," lead architect Alan Weiskopf said.
It’s not the first time Music Hall has undergone an extensive renovation. After its gilded proscenium arch was added in 1896, The Enquirer wrote, “This city has reason to be proud of its beautiful home for music, as it has been pronounced one of the finest structures of its kind in the world.”
The Music Hall budget
Sources of cash for the $135 million project
$16 million grant from the city of Cincinnati
$5 million from the state of Ohio
$45 million in tax credit equity, including a $25 million award from the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program
$64 million in private donations, plus additional funds to start an endowment
$5 million still to raise, as well as funds for an endowment to support the hall when it reopens
Music Hall gets $25M historic tax credit
A breakdown of construction costs
$55.5 million: Enhanced audience experience:
$14.6 million: Improved accessibility:
$16.5 million: Improved production/performer support
$48.4 million: Necessary infrastructure improvements
Source: Music Hall Revitalization Co.
New seat counts
2,524: Maximum capacity after renovation
2,481: Cincinnati Pops configuration
2,369: Opera/Ballet configuration
2,263: CSO and May Festival configuration
3,417: Current seat count
Public input
Have questions about the project? E-mail Janelle Gelfand, jgelfand@enquirer.com, and Bowdeya Tweh, btweh@enquirer.com.