Kleinhans Music Hall is a concert venue located on
Symphony Circle in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
. The hall "is renowned for its acoustical excellence and graceful architecture." Kleinhans is currently the home of the
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, a regular venue for the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, and is rented out for other performing groups and local events. The building was designed by father-and-son team
Eliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish-American architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Eero Saarinen.
Lif ...
and
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer noted for his wide-ranging array of designs for buildings and monuments. Saarinen is best known for designing the General Motors ...
, with help from local architects F. J. and W. A. Kidd,
Stanley McCandless as lighting consultant, and Charles C. Potwin as acoustical adviser. Kleinhans has two performance spaces, as well as additional rooms for rehearsals or private events. It was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1989 for its architecture,
[ and ] 49 years after its completion.
Performance spaces
Kleinhans Music Hall offers two spaces for performances, the main auditorium and the Mary Seaton Room. The main auditorium seats 2,441 (it originally accommodated 2839 seats but underwent renovations in 2015 reducing the capacity), and showcases the hall's parabolic ceiling and acoustically-informed design. The shape of the hall is such that audience members in the back rows of the balcony will have as clear and instantaneous of an auditory experience as the people in the front rows of the ground level. Charles C. Potwin employed a 1:1.3 ratio in the design of the auditorium to achieve the most ideal acoustic.
While the design of the main auditorium is less conducive to reverberation, it aims to create a more intimate experience by drawing the audience in. The austere color palette and simple lines seen in the layout also serve to direct the audience to the music without distraction of ornate decoration.
The Mary Seaton Room is the smaller of the two performance venues, seating up to 700 for a concert, and is well suited for chamber ensembles.
History
Kleinhans Music Hall was named by Edward L. Kleinhans in honor of his wife, Mary Seaton Kleinhans, and his mother, Mary Livingston Kleinhans. The Kleinhans family owned a successful men's clothing company in Buffalo at the turn of the 20th century. Upon their deaths, three months apart in 1934, they left their entire estate of around $1 million to the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo with the request that the funds go to the development of a music hall.
Upon its completion in 1940, the cost of construction reached $1.5 million,
and included funds from President
Roosevelt
Roosevelt may refer to:
*Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president
* Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president
Businesses and organisations
* Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation)
* Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank
* Rooseve ...
's
Public Works Administration in addition to the $1 million from the Kleinhans estate. Kleinhans Music Hall opened on October 19, 1940 with an inaugural concert by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Franco Autori.
In 2015, the seats of the auditorium were updated, and storage rooms were converted into an archive room to serve as an educational feature of the building's philanthropic history and architectural significance.
Notable events
On September 8, 1964,
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
, who at the time was the Democratic candidate to become a
United States Senator from New York
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* United (2003 film), ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* United (2011 film) ...
, gave a speech at Kleinhans in front of a crowd of 6,000 people.
On November 9, 1967, four months after the city was rocked by the
Buffalo riot, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
gave a speech at Kleinhans titled "The Future of Integration." In this speech, he proclaimed, "We are moving toward the day when we will judge a man by his character and ability instead of by the color of his skin."
References
External links
Kleinhans Music Hall - Venue WebsiteInformation from the Buffalo Philharmonic OrchestraDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Buffalo
{{Authority control
Music venues completed in 1940
Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York
Concert halls in New York (state)
Music of Buffalo, New York
Economy of Buffalo, New York
Eero Saarinen structures
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
Tourist attractions in Buffalo, New York
Modernist architecture in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York
Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
1940 establishments in New York (state)