Carnegie Hall, Concert hall in Midtown Manhattan, New York, United States
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue at 881 Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, built of reddish brown brick with terracotta band courses, pilasters and arches in a modified Italian Renaissance style. Its three structures form an L: the eight-story corner building holds Stern Auditorium, a five-story hall of 2,790 seats with cream walls, gold-trimmed pilasters and a coffered arched proscenium; the eastern wing holds Weill Recital Hall and the southern wing Zankel Hall.
Industrialist Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of this Renaissance Revival concert hall, which opened in 1891 following architect William Tuthill's design. In the decades that followed it hosted premieres by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, and Rachmaninoff as well as performances by legendary conductors and instrumentalists.
Throughout each season visitors experience roughly 250 evenings that range from symphony orchestras and piano recitals to jazz groups and contemporary artists. Audiences come from every borough and far beyond, so the lobbies and balconies hum with many languages before the lights dim.
The address is 881 Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets, and guided tours explain the architectural details as well as the musical legacy of the building. Visitors interested in acoustics should note that each of the three halls offers a different listening environment.
Carnegie Hall Tower, a 60-story office skyscraper, was built from 1988 to 1991 directly beside the hall on the same block. The hall gained 2,300 square metres of office and technical space from it, including its first freight elevator, which made moving pianos easier.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,250 contributors worldwide.
