Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts
Encyclopedia
Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
(PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, the 2,676 seat hall presents about 200 performances each year. Originally built in 1927 as Loew’s Penn Theatre, the former movie palace
was renovated and reopened as Heinz Hall in 1971.
engaged the architectural firm of Rapp & Rapp to design the movie palace
. The Grand Lobby was particularly impressive, with its 50 feet (15.2 m)-high vaulted Venetian
ceiling, massive ornamental columns, marble staircase, bronze and crystal chandeliers and silk drapes.
Like many 1920s-era film palaces, Loew's Penn fell on hard times in the 1960s. Competition from television and suburban theaters along with high maintenance costs put a squeeze on profitability. The theater shut its doors in 1964 and was scheduled for demolition. Henry J. Heinz II and Charles Denby, President of the Pittsburgh Symphony Society, together with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
, the Allegheny Conference
and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
, purchased the site and rescued the theater for the purpose of creating a new home for the Pittsburgh Symphony.
From 1967 to 1971, the building was extensively renovated. While the basic architecture of the building remained unchanged, the entrance was moved outwards and faced with a 40 feet (12.2 m)-high arched window. The one-ton chandeliers were rebuilt and their crystals replaced. The original polychrome decor was replaced by a brilliant white and gold design. Ornamental elements in the auditorium were replaced by acoustical baffles to convert the former movie theater into a lively sounding concert hall. The back of the building was extended, adding almost 30 feet (9.1 m) to the stage, and making space for dressing rooms, a music library, and rehearsal rooms.
The Grand Opening of Heinz Hall was on September 10, 1971.
In 1982, the Heinz Foundation sponsored the creation of Heinz Hall Plaza and a four-story addition to the hall.
In 1995, Heinz Hall underwent a further four-month, $6.5-million renovation, including a new orchestra shell, acoustical risers, new butterfly sound reflector, heating and air conditioning improvements, fresh paint, wallpaper and gold leaf and auditorium seats refurbishment.
. This plan fell through when a new stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers
and Pirates took top priority. The Howard Heinz Endowment paid $850,000 for the closed and vacant movie house known as Pittsburgh’s “Temple of the Cinema” in 1967. The Heinz family would also fund the multimillion dollar renovation for the performing arts center that would house all local production companies.
Henry John Heinz was an active contributor and a major force in the development of downtown Pittsburgh, particularly the Cultural District. Called a “generic philanthropist” by a friend, H. J. Heinz donated to the arts, healthcare, education, historic preservation, and was an active contributor all over the city. Carol Brown, president of the Cultural Trust said (about H. J. Heinz), “He was a man of great taste. He expected the best, and he expected his standards to be met." Heinz was an especially strong force in the arts, all while running the well-known company his grandfather founded.
The acoustics are generally excellent throughout the renovated hall with the most expensive seats in the dress circle of the balcony having the best sound. However, the premiere boxes of the Grand Tier (the deluxe mezzanine "loge" seating of the Loew's Penn) are acoustically poor for concert performances due to their position deep underneath the overhang of the balcony. Heinz Hall was a great improvement for the Pittsburgh Symphony over its previous home, the Syria Mosque
, which was visually and acoustically drab. Another design feature of Loew’s movie house features that makes Heinz Hall a great venue for concerts or shows is its excellent sight lines with not a bad seat in the house. In 1995 Heinz Hall underwent a further $6.5 million renovation in which new additions were made to make a visit to the theater more enjoyable.
conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony at the hall's inaugural concert on September 10, 1971. Two days later Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
(CLO) had its opening night in its fourth home. Newspaper articles on the opening are nearly impossible to find because the Pittsburgh Press was on strike at the time. Among the celebrities in town for the event were Charlton Heston
, James Earl Jones
, Agnes de Mille
, and Gregory Peck
. The dedication speech was given by H. J. Heinz II.
In 2010 sidewalk and entrance ways were improved and in the summer of 2011 the roof and moorings will be refurbished as part of an ongoing $20 million effort to renovate Heinz Hall.
(formerly the Stanley Theater
, another once opulent old movie palace) became the new home of the Pittsburgh Opera
, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Civic Light Opera and Pittsburgh Dance Council
.
Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts is known for its grandeur and excellence as a concert hall and showplace, making it a great place to spend an afternoon for a matinee or an evening performance. The PSO offers a wide array of musical performances, such as classical, Pops concerts with Marvin Hamlisch
, Symphonies with a Splash, Fiddlesticks and children’s concerts and more. In between the orchestra’s many performances, Heinz Hall also hosts Broadway tours, speaker’s series and is a great place for a special event.
Heinz Hall has hosted a number of important people and events. A memorial concert for Pittsburgh native, Fred Rogers was held in 2003 after his death. In 2004, local musicians came together with special guest, Bruce Springsteen
, for the Flood Aid concert to help local residents after many neighborhoods were flooded from Hurricane Ivan. The December 2nd concert was sold out. The hall played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Tour on October 1, 2004, featuring performances by James Taylor
and The Dixie Chicks
. Marvin Hamlisch conducted a four-part pops concert in 1995 that aired on PBS. A segment of the Doo-Wop series has also been taped on the stage. Heinz Hall was briefly seen in the 1991 movie Bob Roberts, directed by Tim Robbins
. It really made its movie debut in the 1998 TV movie The Temptations. Most recently, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
and the Steelers’ Max Starks
“competed” in the Broadway musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Taped on the stage of Heinz Hall, composer and songwriter Burt Bacharach
was on NBC’s Today show December 5, 2006. Heinz Hall is an important part of the arts in Pittsburgh and continues to make history.
Cultural District, Pittsburgh
The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south....
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
(PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, the 2,676 seat hall presents about 200 performances each year. Originally built in 1927 as Loew’s Penn Theatre, the former movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
was renovated and reopened as Heinz Hall in 1971.
History
Built as the Loew's and United Artists' Penn Theatre, construction of the building was completed in 1927. Motion picture business magnate and pioneer Marcus LoewMarcus Loew
Marcus Loew was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .-Biography:...
engaged the architectural firm of Rapp & Rapp to design the movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
. The Grand Lobby was particularly impressive, with its 50 feet (15.2 m)-high vaulted Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
ceiling, massive ornamental columns, marble staircase, bronze and crystal chandeliers and silk drapes.
Like many 1920s-era film palaces, Loew's Penn fell on hard times in the 1960s. Competition from television and suburban theaters along with high maintenance costs put a squeeze on profitability. The theater shut its doors in 1964 and was scheduled for demolition. Henry J. Heinz II and Charles Denby, President of the Pittsburgh Symphony Society, together with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City and Princeton, New Jersey in the United States, is a private foundation with five core areas of interest, endowed with wealth accumulated by the late Andrew W. Mellon of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the product of the 1969...
, the Allegheny Conference
Allegheny Conference
The Allegheny Conference on Community Development is an nonprofit, private sector leadership organization dedicated to economic development and quality of life issues for the greater Pittsburgh region, Pennsylvania, United States....
and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is the City of Pittsburgh’s economic development agency, committed to creating jobs, expanding the City’s tax base and improving the vitality of businesses and neighborhoods...
, purchased the site and rescued the theater for the purpose of creating a new home for the Pittsburgh Symphony.
From 1967 to 1971, the building was extensively renovated. While the basic architecture of the building remained unchanged, the entrance was moved outwards and faced with a 40 feet (12.2 m)-high arched window. The one-ton chandeliers were rebuilt and their crystals replaced. The original polychrome decor was replaced by a brilliant white and gold design. Ornamental elements in the auditorium were replaced by acoustical baffles to convert the former movie theater into a lively sounding concert hall. The back of the building was extended, adding almost 30 feet (9.1 m) to the stage, and making space for dressing rooms, a music library, and rehearsal rooms.
The Grand Opening of Heinz Hall was on September 10, 1971.
In 1982, the Heinz Foundation sponsored the creation of Heinz Hall Plaza and a four-story addition to the hall.
In 1995, Heinz Hall underwent a further four-month, $6.5-million renovation, including a new orchestra shell, acoustical risers, new butterfly sound reflector, heating and air conditioning improvements, fresh paint, wallpaper and gold leaf and auditorium seats refurbishment.
Background
Heinz Hall almost never existed because plans were being made for an entire $40 million cultural complex in the Upper Hill District, above the Civic ArenaMellon Arena
Civic Arena is an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is currently undergoing demolition. It was the first retractable roof major sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. feet and constructed with just shy of 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel...
. This plan fell through when a new stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and Pirates took top priority. The Howard Heinz Endowment paid $850,000 for the closed and vacant movie house known as Pittsburgh’s “Temple of the Cinema” in 1967. The Heinz family would also fund the multimillion dollar renovation for the performing arts center that would house all local production companies.
Henry John Heinz was an active contributor and a major force in the development of downtown Pittsburgh, particularly the Cultural District. Called a “generic philanthropist” by a friend, H. J. Heinz donated to the arts, healthcare, education, historic preservation, and was an active contributor all over the city. Carol Brown, president of the Cultural Trust said (about H. J. Heinz), “He was a man of great taste. He expected the best, and he expected his standards to be met." Heinz was an especially strong force in the arts, all while running the well-known company his grandfather founded.
Renovation
Refurbishing an old movie palace was a more practical plan compared to the enormous cost of building a new performing arts complex. Although much of the grandeur of the Loew’s Penn still remains, the decor of the remodeled Heinz Hall is comparatively simple while retaining the elegant lines of the original theater. It took three years for the $10 million renovation to be completed, most of the work being done by local craftsmen and artisans. The 24-karat gold leafing alone took 18 months for two local craftsmen from the A. J. Vater Company to complete. The theater's original chandeliers were rebuilt and redesigned with new crystals. Once a year, all of the chandeliers are lowered to be cleaned and re-lamped. The orchestra pit is powered by a hydraulic lift and is able to hold 80-85 musicians. A new five story wing was also added in the back of the building. It added 25 feet (7.6 m) to the stage and has a lot more dressing rooms and soundproof rehearsal rooms. The main rehearsal room has the same dimensions as the stage, allowing the orchestra to maintain its concert seating arrangement in rehearsals. The original theater's acoustics, designed for films and vaudeville, were made more lively by the removal of heavy drapes and upholstery and the addition of acoustical baffles throughout the auditorium. The fan reflector proscenium helps project sound further, making Heinz Hall a “good throw.”The acoustics are generally excellent throughout the renovated hall with the most expensive seats in the dress circle of the balcony having the best sound. However, the premiere boxes of the Grand Tier (the deluxe mezzanine "loge" seating of the Loew's Penn) are acoustically poor for concert performances due to their position deep underneath the overhang of the balcony. Heinz Hall was a great improvement for the Pittsburgh Symphony over its previous home, the Syria Mosque
Syria Mosque
The Syria Mosque was a performance venue, located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1911 and dedicated in January 1912, it was designed by Huehl, Schmidt & Holmes architectural firm of Chicago....
, which was visually and acoustically drab. Another design feature of Loew’s movie house features that makes Heinz Hall a great venue for concerts or shows is its excellent sight lines with not a bad seat in the house. In 1995 Heinz Hall underwent a further $6.5 million renovation in which new additions were made to make a visit to the theater more enjoyable.
Grand opening
William SteinbergWilliam Steinberg
William Steinberg was a German-American conductor.- Biography :Steinberg was born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Cologne, Germany. He displayed early talent as a violinist, pianist, and composer, conducting his own choral/ orchestral composition at age 13...
conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony at the hall's inaugural concert on September 10, 1971. Two days later Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
(CLO) had its opening night in its fourth home. Newspaper articles on the opening are nearly impossible to find because the Pittsburgh Press was on strike at the time. Among the celebrities in town for the event were Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
, Agnes de Mille
Agnes de Mille
Agnes George de Mille was an American dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMille and her uncle Cecil B. DeMille were both Hollywood directors...
, and Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
. The dedication speech was given by H. J. Heinz II.
Additions
In February 1978, plans were announced for the construction of a garden beside Heinz Hall, and the building housing Woolworth’s was soon demolished. The Garden Plaza opened May 7, 1982. During spring, summer, and early fall the Garden Café is open for lunch on weekdays. Also, during intermission guests can go out to the plaza to see the waterfall and water sculpture, Quartet. Another place to have a special event is the elegant Mozart Room. A reservation is needed, but it is open for pre-show dining or a private function. The Mozart Room and the Garden Café are catered by Common Plea Catering .In 2010 sidewalk and entrance ways were improved and in the summer of 2011 the roof and moorings will be refurbished as part of an ongoing $20 million effort to renovate Heinz Hall.
Notable events
The 1986-87 season was exciting with three anniversaries occurring simultaneously. While the PSO celebrated its 90th, the Pittsburgh Symphony Society celebrated its 60th, and Heinz Hall had its 15th. The 1987-88 season was the beginning for the second performing arts center to open downtown. The Benedum CenterBenedum Center
The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is a theater and concert hall located at 719 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
(formerly the Stanley Theater
Stanley Theater
Stanley Theater may refer to:*Stanley Theater , New Jersey*Stanley Theater , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, New Jersey...
, another once opulent old movie palace) became the new home of the Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Civic Light Opera and Pittsburgh Dance Council
Pittsburgh Dance Council
Pittsburgh Dance Council was established in 2002 as a programming division of . The programming mission of Pittsburgh Dance Council is to bring the best of contemporary dance from around the world to the Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District stages....
.
Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts is known for its grandeur and excellence as a concert hall and showplace, making it a great place to spend an afternoon for a matinee or an evening performance. The PSO offers a wide array of musical performances, such as classical, Pops concerts with Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
, Symphonies with a Splash, Fiddlesticks and children’s concerts and more. In between the orchestra’s many performances, Heinz Hall also hosts Broadway tours, speaker’s series and is a great place for a special event.
Heinz Hall has hosted a number of important people and events. A memorial concert for Pittsburgh native, Fred Rogers was held in 2003 after his death. In 2004, local musicians came together with special guest, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, for the Flood Aid concert to help local residents after many neighborhoods were flooded from Hurricane Ivan. The December 2nd concert was sold out. The hall played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Vote for Change
The Vote for Change tour was a politically-motivated American popular music concert tour that took place in October 2004. The tour was presented by MoveOn.org to benefit America Coming Together. The tour was held in swing states and was designed to encourage people to register and vote...
Tour on October 1, 2004, featuring performances by James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
and The Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
. Marvin Hamlisch conducted a four-part pops concert in 1995 that aired on PBS. A segment of the Doo-Wop series has also been taped on the stage. Heinz Hall was briefly seen in the 1991 movie Bob Roberts, directed by Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
. It really made its movie debut in the 1998 TV movie The Temptations. Most recently, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
Luke Ravenstahl
Luke Robert Ravenstahl is the current Mayor of Pittsburgh. In September 2006, he became the youngest mayor in Pittsburgh's history at the age of 26. He is among the youngest mayors of a major city in American history....
and the Steelers’ Max Starks
Max Starks
Maximillian Weisner "Max" Starks, IV is an American football offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Florida...
“competed” in the Broadway musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Taped on the stage of Heinz Hall, composer and songwriter Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
was on NBC’s Today show December 5, 2006. Heinz Hall is an important part of the arts in Pittsburgh and continues to make history.