The Boston Symphony Hall is the definition of perfection when the talk is about acoustic architecture. It is famously known as one of the finest concert halls in the world, and home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The New-York based architecture firm with the architects: McKim, Mead, and White designed the music hall as a new home for the 20-year-old Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The earlier times did not witness the excellence in design that respected the acoustic value of the place. The design and architecture of Symphony Hall blend with the science of sound, making it one of the top three music halls in the world. The Symphony Hall is for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one of the five major American symphonies about 140 years old.
The stories behind the making and renovating of the Symphony hall attracted equal attention as its appearance and qualities. Around 1892, Boston announced a new roadway plan, which implied the then music hall and home of Boston Symphony had to get demolished.
In contrast to the worst news for many, the demolition even brought opportunities to build a new music hall that would accommodate an increased seating capacity with better architectural elements. The financier Higginson recognized the opportunity and had architects McKim, Mead, and White working on the plans. The work was implemented quickly and was completed in around 17 months with a cost of $771,000.
The founder of the Boston Symphony was determined to build a hall that fulfills all the musical experiences. At that time, the architects required technical acoustic consultation for the hall design to become a success, as needed by the orchestra.
Fortunately, the young Harvard physicist Wallace Clement Sabine came in acquaintance with the architects and derived his magic formula for acoustics. His approach at present is regarded as the first scientific approach for acoustic architecture truly.
The Acoustic Beauty | Boston Symphony Hall
The architecture of Boston Symphony Hall is a beautiful amalgamation of science and art. It praises not only an architect but a whole team involved in creating it. The structure designed took into consideration all the acoustic properties that still sound melodious. The man behind the acoustic accomplishment of the building is the Harvard physicist Sabine. Beginning, from the Shoebox shape of the music hall. Research and knowledge of Sabine have played a crucial role.
The decision of developing an extended rectangular shape hall has enhanced the seating capacity, and it worked to solve the problems of reverberation, distortion, and loudness. Amongst many other applied techniques, Sabine took into account eliminating the extra noise from mechanical systems like vent ducts.
The intricate detailing as a part of ornamentation suggests a planned impulse that alters the sound diffusion inside the building, though it was not a plan back then. The willing teamwork and participation of the architect have ultimately taken acoustics in architecture to the top level.
The Persistent Architecture
Higginson-the founder of the orchestra expressed himself as the practical idealist, and he aimed to provide a music hall that was perfect in all the requirements. The intent while designing the music hall was that the architecture must not distract the audience. The architecture of the place acts as a backdrop to the melody of the orchestra.
The complementing nature of the architecture made it designated as the U.S National Historic Landmark in 1999.
The Steel-Framed building, distinguished by its elongated shoe-box shape, rests on a gray Quincy granite foundation. With a 2625 people audience, the smallest seating detail and its long-life material stay the same after over a century. The seating space bifurcates into three segments, 1486 seats in the orchestra, 598 in the first balcony, and 541 in the second.
The notable architectural features, with chief materials as steel, bronze for grillwork, marble for ornamentation, and limestone columns, praise the interior design. The exterior structure of the Symphony Hall tells much about the inside formation. The central auditorium with the lower side aisles containing administrative offices and public gathering areas. The side aisles play a crucial role in the acoustic design, as they cover the center with two construction layers.
The ornamentation is simplistic, with the color scheme of creme and gold visible only when noticed. The heavy decoration reserved its place for the auditorium, while the public areas have admirable simple moldings with occasional marble embellishments. The soothing yet royal ambience given to the hall is through its ceiling, done in gold with panels and beams. The top has adornments with pierced plaster panelling cleverly hiding the fresh air vents. With the Italian Renaissance revival style of architecture, the ceiling is of coffers of rectangles and crosses.
Unique features are present in the Symphony Hall of Boston due to the presence of the Pops Concert. The modular seating strategy implemented was to allow patrons to enjoy food and drinks during a performance. The seating system is such that it gives the flexibility to adjust different events in the same place. The concert seating is on a gentle slope and can get removed and stored in the basement through a hydraulic lift on the auditorium floor. The arrangement of orchestra seating is with rows, sections, and groups divided by aisles.
During the 19th century, the unfolding beauty of the Renaissance was all over. The Boston Symphony Hall boasts of its beauty amidst the urban fabric of Boston. The acoustic architectural marvel has the beauty of its past eras, and along with them, its façade and ornamentation are the factors of attraction.
Renaissance Influence | Boston Symphony Hall
The Renaissance style of architecture was defined as a broad term by many architects, and they implemented the French, Italian, and even Greek styles into their works. The construction of Boston Symphony Hall is in the Italian Renaissance revival style of architecture. The hall has a shallow pitched roof faced with copper, while the side aisles have a flat roof.
The red brick-clad grabs the attention laid up with panel bricks to enhance the fenestration of the hall. The charming appearance of the place is the result of modesty in design. Through a simple approach of inset panels and accents at the porch made of limestone, elegant ornamentation marks its presence. The notable Ionic collonaded arcade contrasts and blends with the broad granite steps leading towards it.
The chief five central entrance doors are jewelled by the marble roundels, while the two doors on either side have double-hung windows on top. The then carriage entrance is the main entrance at present. The facade along Massachusetts Avenue has seven round-arched ways, with glass clerestory. The main entrance between these holds an elaborated limestone carved lyre.
Overall, the appearance of Boston Symphony Hall is subtle yet rich. The architecture focuses on the main criteria of providing users experience of a great symphony with a pleasing yet simple look in the background. The renaissance-revival architecture style has played a crucial role in the development of this place.
The Boston Symphony Hall, ranked as one of the three best music halls throughout the world, with a competitive architecture and acoustics to date. Since about 121 years ago, the place still stands, giving shelter to one of the finest symphony orchestras. The persistent architecture applied with the best acoustic knowledge by Harvard physicist Sabine shines, making it the finest in the world.
