Academy of Music
- Architect
- Napoleon LeBrun
- Year
- 1857
- Style
- Renaissance Revival
- City
- Philadelphia, PA
The Academy of Music opened with an inaugural ball on January 26, 1857, and remains the oldest opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose. Designed by Napoleon LeBrun in the Renaissance Revival style, the hall — nicknamed the 'Grand Old Lady of Locust Street' — was home to the Philadelphia Orchestra from its founding in 1900 until 2001, and today houses the Philadelphia Ballet and Opera Philadelphia.
the building
165 years in continuous use. Built in 1855-57, the Academy has functioned as a performance venue ever since, making it the oldest opera house in the country still used for its original purpose.
Outgrown by the orchestra it raised. The Philadelphia Orchestra performed here from its 1900 founding until 2001, when it moved to the newly built Kimmel Center. The Orchestra still retains ownership of the Academy, in partnership with Ensemble Arts.
the style
LeBrun designed the Academy in the Renaissance Revival style. On its 1857 opening night, the New York Times called the hall 'magnificently gorgeous, brilliantly lighted, solidly constructed, finely located, beautifully ornamented,' cementing its reputation as one of the country's grandest theaters.
More on Renaissance Revivalsignificance
The Academy of Music was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Known as the 'Grand Old Lady of Locust Street,' it remains the oldest opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose, and now serves as home to the Philadelphia Ballet and Opera Philadelphia.
nearby
- Equitable Trust Building
- The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
- Clarence B. Moore House
- Dr. Joseph Leidy House
- Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
- Racquet Club of Philadelphia