Heinz Hall

Heinz Hall is a performing-arts center and concert venue in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. The 2,676-seat building is best known as the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, while also presenting touring theatrical productions, popular-music concerts, talks, community events, children’s programs and private functions. It typically hosts approximately 200 performances in a year, making it one of the principal cultural venues in downtown Pittsburgh. The building began life as Loew’s Penn Theatre, a grand movie palace commissioned by cinema entrepreneur Marcus Loew. Construction started in January 1926 on the former site of the Exchange Hotel, later known as the St. Clair and Anderson hotels, and the theatre opened in 1927. Designed by the architectural firm Rapp & Rapp, the original interior featured a large vaulted Venetian-style lobby ceiling, ornamental columns, marble stairs, chandeliers and elaborate decorative finishes. It was conceived for motion pictures and vaudeville during the era when large urban movie palaces were important entertainment destinations. By the 1960s, changing entertainment habits, suburban cinemas, television competition and the expense of maintaining a large historic theatre had weakened the Penn Theatre’s business. The venue closed in 1964 and faced demolition, with a parking lot considered for the site. A local preservation and arts initiative led by Henry J. Heinz II and Charles Denby of the Pittsburgh Symphony Society, with support from the Howard Heinz Endowment, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Allegheny Conference and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, acquired the closed theatre in 1967. The objective was to adapt the building into a permanent home for the Pittsburgh Symphony rather than construct an entirely new cultural complex. A three-year renovation retained much of the former movie palace’s structure while adapting it for orchestral and theatrical use. The entrance was reworked with a tall arched window, the chandeliers were rebuilt, and the interior was given a white-and-gold treatment. Acoustical baffles replaced some of the original theatre upholstery and ornament, and the rear of the building was extended to create a larger stage, rehearsal areas, dressing rooms and a music library. The renovated venue reopened under the Heinz Hall name on September 10, 1971, with William Steinberg conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera held its opening night there two days later. The hall’s facilities continued to develop after reopening. Heinz Foundation support helped create Heinz Hall Plaza and an adjoining addition, which opened in 1982. The plaza incorporated a waterfall and Angela Conner’s water sculpture Quartet, as well as hospitality spaces such as the Garden Café and Mozart Room. A further four-month, $6.5 million renovation in 1995 improved the orchestra shell, acoustic risers, sound reflector, climate systems, finishes and seating. Later work addressed entrances, sidewalks, roofing and other building infrastructure as part of a broader capital-maintenance program. Heinz Hall has hosted orchestral, Broadway, popular and civic programming. Notable events have included a 1979 Gulf Oil shareholders’ meeting, a 2003 memorial service for Pittsburgh native Fred Rogers, the 2004 Flood Aid benefit following Hurricane Ivan, and a Vote for Change Tour appearance by James Taylor and the Dixie Chicks. The venue has also been used for recordings and television productions and has appeared in film and television projects. In 2012, Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio performed orchestral compositions with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. After closing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Heinz Hall reopened on September 25, 2021, with a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performance marking the venue’s 50th anniversary.

Heinz Hall occupies a site with a long entertainment and hospitality history. The Exchange Hotel stood there in the 1840s and later operated under the names St. Clair Hotel and Anderson Hotel. The hotel site was cleared for the construction of a major movie palace commissioned by Marcus Loew. Work on Loew’s Penn Theatre began on January 6, 1926, and the building was completed in 1927. Rapp & Rapp designed the theatre, whose elaborate lobby and auditorium reflected the scale and ornament associated with interwar film palaces. The Penn Theatre originally operated as a Loew’s and United Artists venue, presenting motion pictures and vaudeville. Its business model became increasingly difficult during the postwar period. Television, suburban theatres and the high cost of maintaining a large downtown movie palace contributed to its decline, and the theatre closed in 1964. Demolition appeared likely, with a parking facility proposed for the property. The building was saved through a Pittsburgh arts and preservation effort. Henry J. Heinz II and Charles Denby, president of the Pittsburgh Symphony Society, joined with philanthropic and civic organizations to purchase the vacant theatre in 1967. The Howard Heinz Endowment paid $850,000 for the property, while the Heinz family and other supporters financed a major conversion intended to provide a permanent downtown home for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Reusing the movie palace was considered more practical than constructing an entirely new performing-arts complex. Between 1967 and 1971, the structure was extensively renovated. The project preserved the fundamental architecture but modified the entrance, enlarged the stage and created new backstage and rehearsal facilities. Original chandeliers were reconstructed with replacement crystals, and extensive decorative work included 24-karat gold leaf. Because the building had been designed for cinema and vaudeville rather than symphonic performance, the auditorium’s sound was adjusted through the removal of some heavy furnishings and the installation of acoustical baffles, risers and reflectors. The rear extension provided dressing rooms, a music library and rehearsal rooms, including a principal rehearsal room with stage-like dimensions. The completed venue was dedicated as Heinz Hall and opened on September 10, 1971. William Steinberg conducted the inaugural Pittsburgh Symphony concert, and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera began its season there two days later. The hall subsequently became a central anchor of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District and a venue shared by orchestral, theatrical, popular and civic presenters. Expansion and improvement continued. Plans for an adjacent garden were announced in 1978, and Heinz Hall Plaza opened in 1982 after the demolition of a former Woolworth’s building. The plaza added outdoor public space, a water feature and hospitality facilities. In 1995, a four-month, $6.5 million renovation updated the orchestra shell, acoustic equipment, climate systems, decorative finishes and seating. Additional building work in the 2010s included improvements to sidewalks and entrances and planned work on the roof and structural moorings. Over the decades, Heinz Hall has hosted symphonic seasons, pops programs, children’s concerts, Broadway tours, public lectures, benefits, corporate gatherings, television recordings and film productions. Its documented events include a 1979 Gulf Oil annual meeting, a 2003 memorial service for Fred Rogers, the 2004 Flood Aid benefit, a Vote for Change Tour appearance, and Trey Anastasio’s 2012 collaboration with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The hall closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened on September 25, 2021, with a performance marking its 50th anniversary. It remains a major concert and performing-arts venue in Pittsburgh.

• 2021

  Post-pandemic reopening

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  The hall reopened on September 25 after its COVID-19 closure with a 50th-anniversary Pittsburgh Symphony performance.

• 1995

  Major renovation

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  A four-month renovation upgraded acoustics, mechanical systems, finishes and seating.

• 1982

  Heinz Hall Plaza opens

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  An adjacent plaza and addition supported by the Heinz Foundation opened, adding public and hospitality space.

• 1971

  Heinz Hall opens

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  After a major renovation, Heinz Hall opened on September 10 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by William Steinberg.

• 1967

  Building acquired for arts use

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  Henry J. Heinz II, the Pittsburgh Symphony Society and civic and philanthropic partners acquired the vacant theatre for conversion into a symphony home.

• 1964

  Theatre closes

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  The declining movie palace shut down and faced possible demolition.

• 1927

  Loew’s Penn Theatre completed

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  The Rapp & Rapp-designed movie palace was completed and opened as Loew’s Penn Theatre.

• 1926

  Construction begins

  [1]Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the future Loew’s Penn Theatre began on January 6 on the former Anderson Hotel site.

A landmark Pittsburgh concert hall that combines a preserved 1920s movie-palace setting with modern orchestral acoustics and a broad performing-arts program.

• Classical music · 1971

  Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concerts

  The hall’s central offering is its concert program for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Presentations include standard symphonic repertoire, pops concerts, family programming and special collaborations. The building’s enlarged stage, orchestra pit, rehearsal facilities and acoustic modifications were developed specifically to support large-scale orchestral performance.

• Theatre · 1971

  Touring Broadway and theatrical productions

  Heinz Hall presents touring musicals and other theatrical productions alongside its orchestral calendar. Its historic auditorium, expanded stage and backstage facilities allow the venue to function as a major downtown theatre as well as a symphony hall.

• Events · 1982

  Special events and hospitality

  The venue provides spaces for civic gatherings, corporate meetings, benefits, private functions and pre-show hospitality. Heinz Hall Plaza, the Garden Café and the Mozart Room extend the venue beyond the auditorium and support receptions and other event uses.

• 2004Flood Aid

  Pittsburgh metropolitan area

  Heinz Hall hosted a benefit concert featuring local musicians and Bruce Springsteen to support residents affected by flooding associated with Hurricane Ivan.

  Outcome. The event sold out and directed attention and assistance toward flood-affected local communities.

  Source
• 2004Vote for Change Tour

  United States

  The politically themed Vote for Change Tour stopped at Heinz Hall with performances by James Taylor and the Dixie Chicks.

  Source

• 1995

  Upgrade acoustics and visitor facilitiesOther

  Background

  The hall required further modernization after more than two decades as a concert and theatrical venue.

  Action taken

  A four-month renovation added or upgraded the orchestra shell, acoustic risers, sound reflector, climate systems, finishes and seats.

  Aftermath

  The work maintained Heinz Hall as a technically capable venue while preserving its historic architectural character.

  Renovation cost. $6.5 million (1995 renovation)

  Source

• 1967

  Convert a threatened movie palace into a symphony hallStrategy

  Background

  The closed Loew’s Penn Theatre was at risk of demolition, while plans for a much larger new cultural complex had failed to proceed.

  Action taken

  Arts, philanthropic and civic organizations acquired the building and chose adaptive reuse as a permanent home for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

  Aftermath

  The decision preserved a major historic theatre and produced the venue that opened as Heinz Hall in 1971.

  Source

1. 1Heinz Hallen.wikipedia.org