Opera Is Often Considered the Most Extreme Form of Performing Art Because It Includes

Supertall skyscrapers and glamorous museums can boost architects' reputations or put a struggling industrial town back on the map, but as far every bit compages is concerned, one blazon of edifice should never exist overlooked: the theater.

Equally the backbone of urban culture, theaters in the United States have been gathering places for centuries. From operas to ballets to movies, the arts required buildings that were as beautiful as the performances they housed. Early 19th-century theaters were temples to ornamentation, clad in over-the-top chandeliers, heavy drapes, and with a penchant for gold.

Today, the theater remains a crucial part of a city's lifeblood, fifty-fifty equally the types of performing arts have expanded. Modern theaters are technological marvels, pairing innovative architecture with country-of-the-fine art acoustics and video programming.

While this new grade of auditoriums, performing arts centers, and concert halls testify that a theater tin take many forms, they all underscore one belief: Now—more than than ever—the arts thing.

It'due south in this spirit that nosotros searched far and wide across the U.Due south. for the most architecturally meaning theaters. From our land's oldest continually operating opera house to a brand new building in Chicago, these are the 24 most beautiful theaters in America.

Kauffman Eye for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri

The exterior of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Missouri. The facade is stainless steel panels that are curved into a shell shape. — The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts building was completed in 2011 in Kansas Metropolis.

Opened in 2011, the Kauffman Heart is a nearly 285,000-foursquare-pes facility—designed by the internationally-renowned architect Moshe Safdie of Safdie Architects—with two main performance halls, each in the shape of a shell.

Safdie clad the shells in stainless-steel panels and connected the two venues with a xx-meter-high, drinking glass-walled atrium that is anchored to the basis with steel cables. The glass facade also features panoramic views of Kansas City.

The Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan

The interior of the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The ceiling and walls are elaborately decorated. There are colorful columns and hanging chandeliers. There are many rows of seats on a balcony level.

When the Fox Theatre opened in September 1928, five,000 people packed the space to see the second largest theater in the world. The x-story mammoth building features red marble columns and was designed by architect Charles Howard Crane. A Detroiter who at i time worked for Albert Kahn, Crane also designed Orchestra Hall, the Capitol on Broadway, and the State on Woodward.

A gem of the robust Detroit theater scene, the Fox is also notable considering it was the outset in the world to be constructed with born equipment for talking movies. Information technology was a flagship moving-picture show palace of the Pull a fast one on Theatre chain, eventually landing on the National Register of Historic places and the list of National Historic Landmarks. Today, it'south the largest surviving movie palace of the 1920s and the original Fox Theaters.

The Central Metropolis Opera Firm in Key City, Colorado

The exterior of the Central City Opera House in Colorado. The facade is stone and there are multiple red and white doors. There is a sign on the front of the building that reads: Opera House. — The exterior of the Key City Opera Business firm, located in a pocket-size gilded-mining boondocks in Colorado.

Despite its rather diminutive size compared to other theaters, what the Primal Urban center Opera House lacks in seats it makes up for in history. Congenital in 1878 by Welsh and Cornish gold miners, this stone concert hall has hosted performances for decades and is the nation'south fifth-oldest opera company.

Designed by Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub, the 550-seat opera house institute a dwelling house in this tiny Colorado boondocks thank you to Central City's reputation as "the richest square mile on world." But once the gilded mines ran out, the building fell into disrepair from the late 19th century until 1932. A volunteer effort led to the all-encompassing restoration and reopening of the opera hall. Today, it hosts one of the virtually successful summer opera festivals in the country.

Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California

The interior of the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. The walls and ceiling are covered in elaborate metalwork. The stage has a red curtain which is flanked by a multicolored patterned curtain.

Designed by San Francisco architect Timothy L. Pflueger and completed in 1931, the Paramount Theatre in Oakland is a top-notch example of Fine art Deco design. Originally a motion picture palace in the 1930s, the Paramount suffered from three decades of neglect and decline. In 1972, the Oakland Symphony purchased the building in order to restore it to its former glory.

The theater is now on the National Annals of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark with all of the modern technology of a performance theater. Information technology houses the Oakland Symphony too as an e'er-rotating lineup of concerts and shows.

Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York

The interior of Radio City Music Hall in New York City. There is a gold curtain above the stage and the ceiling and walls are curved. — The interior of Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

No list of architecturally significant theaters would exist complete without mention of New York City's Radio City Music Hall, one of the nigh iconic performance venues in the United States.

Built in 1932 and developed as function of Rockefeller Centre, Radio Metropolis Music Hall was designed in the Art Deco mode by architect Edward Durell Rock and industrial designer Donald Deskey, who did the interiors.

The theater is superlative in multiple ways: It is the largest indoor theater in the world, and features the largest stage curtain—in shimmering gold—in the world. Many people besides consider it to be one of the most perfectly equipped stages always built.

Durham Performing Arts Eye in Durham, Due north Carolina

The exterior of the Durham Performing Arts Center in North Carolina. The facade consists of multilevel glass walls. — The exterior of the Durham Performing Arts Middle at nighttime.

The completion of this nationally renowned ii,800-seat theater designed by Chapel Hill-based Szostak Pattern Inc. has helped rehabilitate a former industrial brownfield site in downtown Durham. Beyond its light-filled and airy design, the Durham Performing Arts Eye is too notable for coming in under upkeep at a total project cost of $46 one thousand thousand—less than half the price of comparable venues.

The edifice features multilevel glass walls with a twenty-four hours-lit foyer and views of the city skyline. Two intricate staircases and a white-and-crimson color palette animate the space, encouraging guests up and through the lobby.

Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, New York

Designed past the famous Finnish father-and-son squad of Eliel and Eero Saarinen, forth with architects F.J. and W.A Kidd, the Kleinhans Music Hall combines both elegant structural beauty with extraordinary acoustics. The shape of the exterior brick structure and the master auditorium resemble the body of a string instrument, and Eliel Saarinen'south aim was to create "an architectural atmosphere…then equally to tune the performers and the public alike into a proper mood of operation and receptiveness, respectively."

The result has been lauded as i of the near acoustically perfect halls in the globe since information technology opened in 1940. It sits in a leafy neighborhood and the pulsate-like concert hall reflects off a peaceful pool with no windows or entrances visible. Information technology's a peaceful, graceful take on theater blueprint.

Schermerhorn Symphony Eye in Nashville, Tennessee

The interior of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Tennessee. The walls and ceiling are white. The stage and seats are wood. There is a grand piano on the stage. — The interior of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

Nashville might be internationally known for its country music, but this neoclassical concert hall proves that the Tennessee uppercase also boasts a thriving classical music scene. Located in downtown Nashville's Sobro neighborhood, the venue hosts a broad range of musical events and is home to the Nashville Symphony.

The 1,800-seat venue, which opened in 2006, is one of the few to enjoy natural calorie-free through 30 soundproof windows. The pattern might look similar to the 19th-century concert halls of Europe, but the engineering science is anything but dated: An advanced system of movable banners and panels can adjust the acoustics to accommodate different musical genres and sounds. The concert hall besides features a convertible seating system.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California

The exterior of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The walls and roof are stainless steel and curved. — The Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, dwelling to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and designed by Frank Gehry.

Home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Walt Disney Concert Hall presents classical music, contemporary music, and jazz to civilisation lovers from Los Angeles and beyond.

The distinctive edifice was designed by Frank Gehry as a serial of undulating stainless-steel curves that symbolize musical movement and the movement of Los Angeles. Inside, the towering column-free concert hall is awash in warm hues, its acoustics are top-notch, and one wall features an elaborate organ made from a bouquet of half dozen,134 curved pipes.

For more on the Walt Disney Concert Hall, head over to Curbed Los Angeles.

The State of war Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California

The exterior of the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. The facade is white with large arched windows and columns. It is evening and the sky is dark blue. — The exterior of the War Memorial Opera Business firm in San Francisco.

The San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Middle is a massive complex with a combined capacity of well-nigh 7,000 seats. But our favorite edifice remains the War Memorial Opera Business firm.

Designed by Arthur Brown, Jr.—the same architect who designed San Francisco City Hall—the State of war Memorial Opera Business firm was one of the last Beaux-Arts structures built in the U.S. when it opened in 1932. Grand columns, ornate details, and a main antechamber with a soaring, 38-foot-high ceiling all serve as both a monument to those who served in World War I and a fitting domicile for the San Francisco Opera.

The Egg in Albany, New York

A concert hall called the Egg in Albany. The top of the hall is oval and shaped like an egg. The base resembles a pedestal. The exterior is light grey. — A night view of the Egg in Albany, New York.

It's no wonder why this venue in Albany is chosen what it is: The sculpture-like building looks just like an egg on a pedestal. Simply the Egg'southward architecture is more than complex than it might seem. Designed by the midcentury New York City-based house Harrison & Abramovitz as role of the Empire Country Plaza project, the Egg took 12 years to build and opened in 1978 with ii theaters.

While it looks similar the egg is perched on its base, the stem that holds the oval is actually rooted six stories into the footing. The exterior's curved lines keep inside and the construction lacks any direct lines or harsh corners.

Instead, interior walls curve upward to meet concave ceilings, and the backs of performing areas are fanned to create a more intimate, inviting atmosphere. These unique features have made the Egg an of import slice of New York architecture history.

Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana

The interior of the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. The walls resemble an Italian villa courtyard. The ceiling and top of the walls are dark blue like the evening sky. The bottom portion of the walls are is stone. — The interior of the Saenger Theater in New Orleans.

Built for a hefty $ii.5 million dollars in 1929, the Saenger Theater was described in its heyday equally "an acre of seats in a garden of Florentine splendor." The elaborate decor conjures up a 15th-century Italian villa and courtyard, and the theater's most striking feature is its blue domed "sky" ceiling with twinkling stars.

According to the Saenger Theatre website, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the theater in 2005, but a $53 million revitalization project restored the edifice to its former glory, assuasive it to reopen in 2013. Today, the theater hosts Broadway shows, concerts, comedians, and events.

Kalita Humphreys Theater in Dallas, Texas

The exterior of Kalita Humphreys Theater in Texas. The building is white with an oval tower. — The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Kalita Humphreys Theater.

As one of iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright's final buildings and one of his only surviving theaters, the Kalita Humphreys Theater is a stunning addition to the architecture of Dallas, Texas.

The building features a round stage drum that extends to a higher place the main structure and exemplifies Wright'due south organic philosophy. Curved walls dominate the design and the stage itself sits on a turntable that allows multiple scenes and sets to be set up at the same time.

Curious about Wright's other buildings? We've mapped 40 of his most important structures over hither.

The Theatre at Ace in Los Angeles, California

The interior of the Theatre at Ace in Los Angeles. There is a staircase and bannister that has elaborate metalwork. There is a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Arches with metalwork are on the walls. — The Theatre at Ace in Los Angeles, formerly the United Artists Theatre.

First opened in late 1927, the United Artists Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles was designed by noted theater architect C. Howard Crane and commissioned past United Artists, the film industry powerhouse founded by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and D.Westward. Griffith.

After serving as the headquarters for a church from 1989 through 2009, the stunning Spanish Gothic-mode edifice is at present part of the Ace Hotel, but is however available for concerts, premieres, private screenings, and performances.

That'south a good matter, considering we wouldn't desire to miss out on the theater's ornate vaulted ceilings, intricate metalwork, painted murals, and the massive dome above the eye of the auditorium, covered in thousands of mirrored discs and crystal pendants.

For more on the Theatre at Ace, head over to Curbed Los Angeles.

Writers Theatre in Chicago, Illinois

The exterior of the Writers Theatre in Chicago. The roof is flat and there is a staircase leading to the entrance. The upper level has multiple wooden beams arranged in a latticework design which sit in front of glass windows. — The Studio Gang-designed Writers Theatre in Illinois.

Located in Chicago'due south North Shore hamlet of Glencoe, this new building for the nationally recognized Writers Theatre opened in 2016 in an effort to augment the institution's exposure and concenter new patrons.

The Studio Gang-designed edifice includes two new operation spaces in the form of a 250-seat master stage and a smaller "black-box" venue that can exist configured to accommodate between 50 and 99 visitors. The structure's almost interesting chemical element is the raised loggia enclosed by a wooden latticework that houses an airy and multi-purpose foyer space.

For more on the Writers Theatre, head over to Curbed Chicago.

Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York

The interior of Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. There is elaborate gold design on the walls and ceiling. The stage has a red curtain. — The interior of the recently renovated Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn's largest theater underwent a $94 one thousand thousand restoration recently after four decades of decay had lain waste to the neglected construction. Originally built in 1929, the Loew'due south Rex Theatre was an icon of its time, a spectacle built for movies and alive performances.

But with the rise of multiplexes in the 1970s, the unmarried-screened Kings couldn't compete. It was forced to close due to depression omnipresence, high maintenance costs, and the reject of the surrounding neighborhood.

Now, the theater is back and better than ever, revived with original plaster and painting schemes, vintage carpet and seating, historic lighting fixtures, and all the finest new engineering.

Head over to Curbed NY for more.

The Fisher Center in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York

The performing arts building at Bard College, the Fisher Center, designed by Frank Gehry. The roof and walls are curved metal. There is a glass entryway. The building is surrounded by a green grass lawn. — The performing arts building at Bard Higher was designed by Frank Gehry and took three years to build.

Located at Bard College in New York, the $62 meg Richard B. Fisher Centre for the Performing Arts was designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 2003. In full, the edifice comprises 107,000 foursquare feet and is made of fir veneer, concrete, stainless-steel shingles that comprehend the roof, and over ane,000 tons of conventional and curved steel.

The building's nigh hit feature is its forepart facade. According to Gehry, the blueprint represents "a theatrical mask that covers the raw confront of the operation space" and prepares the visitor for the performances that occur within.

The Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The exterior of the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The top of the building is red brick and the bottom is brown brick. There are arched windows and stairs leading up to the entrance. — The entrance to the University of Music on the avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Clan, the Academy of Music is over 150 years old and is known every bit the "Yard Onetime Lady of Locust Street." Starting time opened in 1857, the building was modeled subsequently Milan'southward La Scala and is the oldest continually operating concert hall in the United States.

Built in the Roman Corinthian style and designed past architect Napoleon LeBrun, the Academy of Music recently underwent extensive work to restore the theater to its original class. Now, the large frescos, gilt ornamentation, and drinking glass chandeliers shine just as bright as they did in the 1860s. Outside, the building'due south brick and brownstone exterior is a testament to Philadelphia's rich history.

Kresge Auditorium in Cambridge, Massachusetts

The exterior of the Kresge Auditorium in Massachusetts. The roof is green and sloped. The walls are glass. — Kresge Auditorium sits on the Massachusetts Institute of Applied science campus and was congenital in 1955.

Although its swooping lines look like to some of today's modern buildings, MIT's Kresge Auditorium dates back to 1955. It was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and has been cited as an case of the optimistic zeitgeist of Postal service-war America.

Saarinen—who also designed the TWA terminal and the St. Louis Gateway Arch—used his sculptural background to create the auditorium, one of the United states of america's showtime large-scale thin-beat physical buildings.

The truncated dome looks a chip like a foliage, and the building has been praised for both its elegance and for the transparent, full-height windows on either side. Inside, there are no bad seats cheers to a lack of interior supports for the overarching dome. Today, the hall hosts MIT's performing arts productions, events, and more.

New World Center in Miami, Florida

The interior of New World Center in Miami. The ceiling has various large panels which have video projections of clouds on them. There is a person singing on the stage and an orchestra performing in the orchestra pit. — The performance hall in Miami'due south New World Center—designed past architect Frank Gehry and acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota—which opened in 2011.

Dwelling to the New World Symphony—an orchestral academy under the artistic direction of its co-founder and Grammy award-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas—Miami's New World Middle is an architectural standout in the heart of Due south Beach.

Another precious stone designed by Frank Gehry, the concert hall opened in 2011 in an effort to break down the barriers between performers and the public. As the New York Times writes, New Globe Centre aims to "pump new life into an art course that is oft perceived every bit stuffy and onetime-fashioned."

Thus, a rather subdued outside (at to the lowest degree past Gehry's standards) gives way to a stunning 756-seat performance hall, where Gehry designed big acoustically reflective "sails" that surround the audience and serve every bit video projection surfaces. The concert hall also features a 2.5-acre space that holds events for the public.

Orpheum Theater in Phoenix, Arizona

The interior of the Orpheum Theater in Arizona. There are murals on the walls and the stage has intricate gold decorations. — The murals in the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix.

Located in downtown Phoenix, the i,364-seat Orpheum Theater was originally constructed in 1929 and went through several incarnations under dissimilar owners.

The unusual, Spanish Baroque-way building features huge, detailed murals that aim to give visitors the impression that they are enjoying performances al fresco. The building currently houses an eclectic mix of theatre, live music, dance, and comedy and reopened in 1997 afterwards an extensive $xiv million restoration.

Wagner Noël Performing Arts Centre in Midland, Texas

The exterior of the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center in Texas. The facade is brown and there is a metal sign with words that read: Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center. — The exterior of the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center in Texas.

Located betwixt Midland and Odessa, Texas, the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Middle was designed by Bora Architects and constructed in 2011.

Endemic by the University of Texas, the building features architecture inspired by the geology of the Permian Bowl, Texas's petroleum-producing region. It stands out in the desert mural and includes a state-of-the-art, 1,800-seat main concert hall and a 200-seat recital hall.

The Alex Theatre in Glendale, California

A temple to all things Art Deco, the i,413-seat Glendale theater, congenital in 1925, originally hosted vaudeville performances, silent movies, and local plays. Information technology operated until the 1980s, when the Alex was forced to close afterward several years of turn down. The Glendale Redevelopment Agency purchased the theater in 1992 and spent $6.two million restoring it to its sometime splendor.

The iconic compages—with its Egyptian-Greek-American overtones—has been preserved. Today, the theater is as well the home to the Glendale Youth Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Loonshit Stage in Washington, D.C.

The exterior of Washington D.C.'s Arena stage. The roof is white and slopes upward. The walls are glass. — Washington, D.C.'s Arena Phase designed by Bing Thom Architects.

Designed by Bing Thom Architects and completed in 2010, D.C.'s reinvented Loonshit Phase doubled the size of the facility and upgraded the theater'due south applied science and amenities. Inside, the architects restored the two existing historic theaters—including the original theater in the circular—and added a new 200-seat experimental theater in the shape of an oval.

Exterior, a dramatic sloping roof and glass structure presides over the three theaters and offers views of the side by side Washington Channel and Washington Monument.

Upset that your favorite theater, concert hall, opera house, or performing arts heart didn't make the list? We know there are many more than worthy candidates. Permit usa know wh ich buildings we missed—and why you dear them—in the comments.

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Source: https://archive.curbed.com/2017/3/15/14927584/best-theater-concert-opera-united-states