User:Johns7mn/sandbox/draft

Below is my draft of edits for the Cincinnati Music Hall Page:

Sources to be implemented:

Addition of exposition halls to Music Hal in 1878

Creating the committee for the project

Architectural details

Building in stages

Visits from President Grant

Exposition Halls Completed September 2nd, 1879

Democratic National Convention 1880

Music Hall Timeline

Architecture Final Page edits:

Updates to the Venues Section:

Springer Auditorium

Addition: 2,289 people for symphony performances and 2,439 people for the Cincinnati Pops.

Addition: Springer Auditorium also houses the iconic Music Hall Chandelier. The Czechoslovakian piece was sent to the United States in pieces, and was officially installed in Springer Auditorium in the early 1970s. It was found and purchased by the Corbett Family as they financed the multi-year renovation of the auditorium. The chandelier weighs approximately 1,500 pounds with a diameter of of 21 feet. It also includes 96 candles, each lit with an individual bulb. Music Hall Ballroom Addition: Prior to 1974 the space was known as the Topper Ballroom and has been managed by numerous outside organizations since it’s opening in 1928. Additionally, the space has undergone numerous renovations such as those in 1935, 1947, 1959, and aIn October 1998, a $1.8 million renovation of the Ballroom in October of 1998.

Corbett Tower

Addition: Originally known as Dexter Hall, in honor of a member of the Music Hall Building Committee, the 3rd floor space served as a performance hall for the Cincinnati College of Music. Later, the tower was used for radio and television broadcasts, both for the College of Music and WCET. In 1972 the space was renovated and renamed for the longtime Music Hall patrons, J. Ralph and Patricia Corbett. The Corbett Foundation also financed the renovation and limited restoration of the space again in 1994. Wilks Studio Addition: is a new space added following the 2016-17 renovation of Music Hall.– A  It is a new multi-use space that can serve as a rehearsal room or event space for weddings, receptions, fundraisers, meetings, or other gatherings, seating up to 200 people. From the North Concourse on the Balcony Level, enter through the door at the top of the stairs which leads to the Studio Lobby. Additionally, this space is used for rehearsals and small performances by both the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera.

Taft Suite

Section Removed

ADDITION: Other Facilities The building also contains the Taft Suite, a private space that stores the restored panels of the historic Hook and Hastings Organ, and well as the Music Hall Foyer which is used as a gathering space for both larger performances and private events. NEW SECTION: Architecture

Cincinnati Music Hall was designed by architect Samuel Hannaford and is considered on of the last and best examples of the Victorian Gothic Revival Style. Some of the spaces most notable features include the steeply-pitched gable roof, the corbelled brick, the tracery featured on the front windows, and the large Rose Window on the facade of the building. Additionally, the facility varies from a traditional performance hall in the fact that Music Hall is actually made up of 3 distinct and separate buildings; Music Hall, the North Exposition Building, and the South Exposition Building. The design also includes Carriage Passageways designed for easy entrance in the case of bad weather.

Each building also includes individual sandstone carvings, designed to display the different purposes of each space. The center building, Music Hall, has musical instruments such as french horns included on the facade, flowers and birds are included on the South Exposition Hall to represent it’s horticultural heritage, and scientific tools are featured on the North Exposition Hall to represent its mechanical heritage.

The building was also known for its detailed brickwork, which included both carved and painted details on the building’s exterior. However during the 1969-1975 renovation, the building’s exterior was sandblasted, destroying the majority of these details.

History

First section changed to Pre-construction

Construction

Addition: Along with other community leaders such as Julius Dexter, W. H. Harrison, T. D. Lincoln, Joseph Longworth, Robert Mitchell, John Shillito and Reuben Springer organized the Music Hall Association to build the new hall. The group oversaw the construction and fundraising necessary to complete the space. Construction on Cincinnati Music Hall began in 1876, shortly after Hannaford and Porter was given the contract. The project was divided into multiple phases, first focusing on the construction of the center building, Music Hall. Following several issues regarding weather and resources, the project was fast tracked in hopes of completing work on Music Hall prior to the 1978 May Festival Chorus performance. After Music Hall was completed, new funds were raised and resources were allocated for the completion of both the Northern and Southern Exposition Halls, two spaces utilized as the City of Cincinnati’s primary convention spaces from their construction through the 1970s.

Although the 3 buildings were constructed separately, they were immediately joined together using second story passageways. This allowed for events to span all 3 spaces while also allowing several groups to share this space at once.

Completion

Addition: These performances were especially significant as they included the May Festival Chorus and the Cincinnati Opera, two groups that were officially transitioning from other venues, such as the Cincinnati Zoo, to Music Hall as their permanent homes. Music Hall was then used independently for over a year, until both the North and South Exposition Halls were officially completed on September 2nd, 1879.

New Section: Performances and Events

In addition to Music Hall’s traditional role of housing the city’s major arts organizations and formerly the college of music, the building served as Cincinnati’s major convention center through the 1970s, when the Duke Energy Convention Center was built.

As early as 1879, Music Hall began to see notable guests such as President Ulysses S. Grant. He spoke at the venue on December 12th, 1879. He addressed the public at Music Hall and the venue was overflowing with people according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The building has also hosted numerous other presidents such as William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Benjamin Harrison, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

June 22-24 1880, the Democratic National Convention was held at Music Hall. This event resulted in the nomination of  Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania for President and William H. English of Indiana for Vice President in the United States presidential election of 1880. Additionally, this event was noteworthy due to the unique addition of Western Union Telegraph Wires to Music Hall for convention use, a task that had not been completed for major performance halls in the past.

Overtime, the space also hosts numerous, notable musical performances such as the well known conductor, Richard Strauss in 1904, the world premier of the Opera “Taming of the Shrew” in 1953, and many other musical performances.

Prior to being given their own homes, several Cincinnati organizations were housed in music hall including the CIncinnati Art Museum, the Cincinnati College of Music, the Cincinnati College of Engineering, and the television station WCET. The hall also housed a roller skating venue in one of the exposition halls for over 30 years, and was home to the Ohio Valley Exposition for over half a century.

Addition: 2016-2017 Renovation

In 2016, Cincinnati Music Hall was closed for a 14-month, $143 million renovation. The renovation included the addition of 30,000 additional square feet of usable space, as well as the structural and cosmetic renovation of the buildings traditional performance and event spaces. Approximately half of the renovations funding was provided by private donors, while the other half came from public funding sources such as the City of Cincinnati and tax credits from the State of Ohio. The space officially opened to the public October 6-7 2017 with a weekend of performances and all access tours of the building.

Paranormal Activity Section: Cut Down