Tarrytown Music Hall
Encyclopedia
The Music Hall, in Tarrytown
, New York, United States, is located on West Main Street downtown. It is a brick structure in the Queen Anne
architectural style
erected in the late 19th century. In 1980 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
It is the oldest theater in Westchester County
still used as a theater, and considered one of the county's finest non-residential applications of the Queen Anne Style. In 1901 it was one of the first theaters to show the new form of entertainment called motion pictures. Dave Brubeck
, Louis Armstrong
and Miles Davis
are among the musicians who have performed there. Many classical music performances have been recorded there to take advantage of its excellent acoustics
It closed in 1976 due to neglect and structural problems. Shortly after it was listed on the Register, a local not-for-profit bought it and restored
it. It has remained in operation since it was reopened a few years later, with several other renovations. More notable artists have performed there since then and it has been used in several films and television commercials.
buildings. Some mature trees grow above building height, and there are a few parking lots between and behind the buildings. The terrain slopes gradually towards the Hudson River
0.6 mile (1 km) to the west.
structure. Its south (front) facade
and the first three bays on the east and west have a rough-cut granite
foundation
and brick facing. The remaining bays and the north elevation have a brick foundation with stucco
and half-timber facing. A limestone
water table
at the southwest corner appears to be the foundation due to the slope exposing it. Atop the building is a hipped roof
shingled in slate with a cast iron
parapet
railing around its flat central section.
On the south the facade is intricately and elaborately detailed, with square corner towers and a gable
-roofed middle section flanked by two smaller square quoined
towers. Two small shops with flank the main entrance. Their windows are topped with panels of frosted glass
set with designs of stained glass
and lead, panels that also top the nearby doors leading to stairs to the upper floors. Above the main entrance is the marquee. Its flat top has another iron railing; illuminated lettering on it spells out "Music Hall" on all three sides.
Two terra cotta
belt courses
with paneling between set off the second story, with large corbel
s on the corner towers. The upper one forms the sill of the one-over-one double-hung sash window
s with painted wood surrounds and glass transoms topped by terra cotta lintels. On the towers flanking the center, these windows are additionally topped by triangular panels. In the middle a door to the balcony creates a tripartite version of the window with an additional two flanking windows. Above it is an arched brick, stone and terra cotta panel with "Music Hall" spelled out in the semicircle below large keystone
-shaped arrangements. The "18" and "85" on the sides indicates the construction date.
A terracotta and sandstone
string course tops the windows on the second story, with corbelling between it and the cornice
d roofline. Similar, but more intricate, decoration graces the flanking towers at the center. The gable field has an eight-pane double casement
window, with the brick and terra cotta giving way to fish-scale wood shingles midway up. Above the window is a bell-shaped hood with finial
. The roofline has the same treatment as the flat portions of the roof.
The southeast and southwest facades of the corner towers have a small arched window with fanlight
flanked by two small smooth wooden Doric
pilaster
s. Similar openings in the other sides have been shingled over in slate. Atop the towers are bell-cast roofs shingled in slate and topped by finials as well with weather vane
s. The center flanking towers have flared pyramidal roofs and finials.
Fenestration
on the stucco and half-timber section in the rear consists of six rectangular windows and five doors. They are placed irregularly on the two stories. The only decorative touch is the triangular pediment
on one dormer window at the roof.
and limestone with brass trim. Detailing uses classically
-inspired motifs. To the rear, the large entertainment space has been extensively modified from its original design. It has a pitched floor with 843 permanent seats. Plaster panels on the wall conceal the original wooden arches. Silhouettes of figures in early 20th-century dress decorate wall niches in the panels as well as stair landings and hallways. Similar landscapes in silhouette fill the domes beneath the balcony.
Higher up, the plaster panels on the arched ceiling spandrel
s and frieze
have been painted gold, as have the classical elements on the stage wall. The plaster ceiling medallions from which the chandelier
s hang are original. Backstage the original ceiling arches are intact, as are the murals and door surrounds. Other original finishing can also be found in one of the second-floor apartments, now used as office space.
with apartments and commercial space, as well as a large entertainment area in the rear. Architect Philip Edmunds's design exemplified the Queen Anne style
in its mix of materials, as advocated by Richard Norman Shaw
, considered to have established the style. It cost Wallace $50,000 ($ in modern dollars) to build and opened in December. The first night's performance was instrumental selections from The Mikado
with a quartet vocal performance of "Moonlight on the Lake".
Originally, the performance space had a flat floor with removable seating. The stage is not believed to have been movable, although that was possible at the time. The wooden spandrels were visible, as was elaborate classical detailing, such as the molded
consoles supporting the balcony and elaborate brackets
supporting the main floor posts.
The more flexible interior space allowed the theater to host all sorts of events, including several roller skating contests in 1886. It was altered in 1901 to accommodate motion pictures, a new form of entertainment it was one of the first theaters to show. The following year, the wealthy residents of Tarrytown sponsored the first of several lavish annual flower shows. John D. Rockefeller
often loaned palm trees grown in the greenhouses at Kykuit
, his nearby estate, for use in sets. The original gas chandeliers were replaced with electric ones in 1910.
In 1915 another alteration moved the main entrance from the west facade to its current location. That year it hosted the Cotton Ball, a major women's suffrage rally. Other political events the Music Hall hosted during the Progressive Era
included speeches by Woodrow Wilson
and Theodore Roosevelt
. Performers of that era included Antonín Dvořák
and Mae West
.
A further remodeling in 1922 changed the interior to its present configuration, sloping the floor, adding permanent seats and covering the wall spandrels with plaster. The new interior added some Art Nouveau
and Art Deco
elements. By 1930 the theater was exclusively showing films. It continued to do so until 1976, when television and larger multi-screen theaters had undercut its business. The village proposed that the vacant theater be torn down to make way for a parking lot.
That fate was avoided around the time it was listed on the Register. In 1980 the Friends of the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory, a not-for-profit organization, purchased the abandoned theater to preserve
it and establish a center for the performing arts. It was necessary to repair electrical and plumbing infrastructure damaged by years of neglect.
For 23 years the Music Hall was run by a volunteer staff, primarily local music professor Berthold Ringeisen and his wife Helen. Due to its wooden arches, the theater's acoustics
are excellent enough that many classical music performances have been recorded there. In 2009, the Canadian Brass
could be heard clearly in the rear of the theater without amplification.
Bjorn Olsson was hired as the theater's first full-time professional director in 2003. That year the theater spent $100,000 to reroof one side of the building, replace the stage curtain, spotlights and sandbags. Four years later, in 2007, it bought the property behind the theater to use as staff parking and for a possible future loading dock
. The year afterwards, a local Junior League
chapter raised most of the money to replace the original air conditioning after it failed. The restrooms were made disabled accessible
in 2011.
Today the theater hosts performances 180 days a year. Several films and television commercials have been shot in the building. A childrens' theater company and a local wind
ensemble are both in residence at the Music Hall. It is the oldest theater in Westchester County
still used for that purpose.
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
, New York, United States, is located on West Main Street downtown. It is a brick structure in the Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
erected in the late 19th century. In 1980 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
It is the oldest theater in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
still used as a theater, and considered one of the county's finest non-residential applications of the Queen Anne Style. In 1901 it was one of the first theaters to show the new form of entertainment called motion pictures. Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
are among the musicians who have performed there. Many classical music performances have been recorded there to take advantage of its excellent acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
It closed in 1976 due to neglect and structural problems. Shortly after it was listed on the Register, a local not-for-profit bought it and restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
it. It has remained in operation since it was reopened a few years later, with several other renovations. More notable artists have performed there since then and it has been used in several films and television commercials.
Building
The Music Hall is located on the northeast corner of the intersection of West Main and Kaldenberg Place, one block west of Broadway (U.S. Route 9). The surrounding neighborhood is a densely developed urban core, with many two-story commercial and mixed-useMixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
buildings. Some mature trees grow above building height, and there are a few parking lots between and behind the buildings. The terrain slopes gradually towards the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
0.6 mile (1 km) to the west.
Exterior
The building itself is a two-and-a-half-story three-by-seven-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
structure. Its south (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
and the first three bays on the east and west have a rough-cut granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
and brick facing. The remaining bays and the north elevation have a brick foundation with stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
and half-timber facing. A limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
water table
Water table (architecture)
A water table is a masonry architectural feature that consists of a projecting course that deflects water running down the face of a building away from lower courses or the foundation...
at the southwest corner appears to be the foundation due to the slope exposing it. Atop the building is a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
shingled in slate with a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
railing around its flat central section.
On the south the facade is intricately and elaborately detailed, with square corner towers and a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
-roofed middle section flanked by two smaller square quoined
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
towers. Two small shops with flank the main entrance. Their windows are topped with panels of frosted glass
Frosted glass
Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. It has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering of light during transmission, thus blurring images while still transmitting light.Applications:...
set with designs of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
and lead, panels that also top the nearby doors leading to stairs to the upper floors. Above the main entrance is the marquee. Its flat top has another iron railing; illuminated lettering on it spells out "Music Hall" on all three sides.
Two terra cotta
Architectural terracotta
Terracotta, in its unglazed form, became fashionable as an architectural ceramic construction material in England in the 1860s, and in the United States in the 1870s. It was generally used to supplement brick and tiles of similar colour in late Victorian buildings.It had been used before this in...
belt courses
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
with paneling between set off the second story, with large corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s on the corner towers. The upper one forms the sill of the one-over-one double-hung sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s with painted wood surrounds and glass transoms topped by terra cotta lintels. On the towers flanking the center, these windows are additionally topped by triangular panels. In the middle a door to the balcony creates a tripartite version of the window with an additional two flanking windows. Above it is an arched brick, stone and terra cotta panel with "Music Hall" spelled out in the semicircle below large keystone
Keystone (architecture)
A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
-shaped arrangements. The "18" and "85" on the sides indicates the construction date.
A terracotta and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
string course tops the windows on the second story, with corbelling between it and the cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
d roofline. Similar, but more intricate, decoration graces the flanking towers at the center. The gable field has an eight-pane double casement
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
window, with the brick and terra cotta giving way to fish-scale wood shingles midway up. Above the window is a bell-shaped hood with finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The roofline has the same treatment as the flat portions of the roof.
The southeast and southwest facades of the corner towers have a small arched window with fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
flanked by two small smooth wooden Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s. Similar openings in the other sides have been shingled over in slate. Atop the towers are bell-cast roofs shingled in slate and topped by finials as well with weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
s. The center flanking towers have flared pyramidal roofs and finials.
Fenestration
Building envelope
The building envelope is the physical separator between the interior and the exterior environments of a building. Another emerging term is "Building Enclosure". It serves as the outer shell to help maintain the indoor environment and facilitate its climate control...
on the stucco and half-timber section in the rear consists of six rectangular windows and five doors. They are placed irregularly on the two stories. The only decorative touch is the triangular pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
on one dormer window at the roof.
Interior
The lobby uses mostly marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and limestone with brass trim. Detailing uses classically
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
-inspired motifs. To the rear, the large entertainment space has been extensively modified from its original design. It has a pitched floor with 843 permanent seats. Plaster panels on the wall conceal the original wooden arches. Silhouettes of figures in early 20th-century dress decorate wall niches in the panels as well as stair landings and hallways. Similar landscapes in silhouette fill the domes beneath the balcony.
Higher up, the plaster panels on the arched ceiling spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s and frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
have been painted gold, as have the classical elements on the stage wall. The plaster ceiling medallions from which the chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s hang are original. Backstage the original ceiling arches are intact, as are the murals and door surrounds. Other original finishing can also be found in one of the second-floor apartments, now used as office space.
History
In 1885, William L. Wallace, a local chocolate manufacturer, had the idea to build a theater in the heart of Tarrytown. The building was to be mixed-useMixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
with apartments and commercial space, as well as a large entertainment area in the rear. Architect Philip Edmunds's design exemplified the Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
in its mix of materials, as advocated by Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw RA , was an influential Scottish architect from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings.-Life:...
, considered to have established the style. It cost Wallace $50,000 ($ in modern dollars) to build and opened in December. The first night's performance was instrumental selections from The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
with a quartet vocal performance of "Moonlight on the Lake".
Originally, the performance space had a flat floor with removable seating. The stage is not believed to have been movable, although that was possible at the time. The wooden spandrels were visible, as was elaborate classical detailing, such as the molded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
consoles supporting the balcony and elaborate brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
supporting the main floor posts.
The more flexible interior space allowed the theater to host all sorts of events, including several roller skating contests in 1886. It was altered in 1901 to accommodate motion pictures, a new form of entertainment it was one of the first theaters to show. The following year, the wealthy residents of Tarrytown sponsored the first of several lavish annual flower shows. John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
often loaned palm trees grown in the greenhouses at Kykuit
Kykuit
Kykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
, his nearby estate, for use in sets. The original gas chandeliers were replaced with electric ones in 1910.
In 1915 another alteration moved the main entrance from the west facade to its current location. That year it hosted the Cotton Ball, a major women's suffrage rally. Other political events the Music Hall hosted during the Progressive Era
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...
included speeches by Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
and Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Performers of that era included Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
and Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
.
A further remodeling in 1922 changed the interior to its present configuration, sloping the floor, adding permanent seats and covering the wall spandrels with plaster. The new interior added some Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
elements. By 1930 the theater was exclusively showing films. It continued to do so until 1976, when television and larger multi-screen theaters had undercut its business. The village proposed that the vacant theater be torn down to make way for a parking lot.
That fate was avoided around the time it was listed on the Register. In 1980 the Friends of the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory, a not-for-profit organization, purchased the abandoned theater to preserve
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
it and establish a center for the performing arts. It was necessary to repair electrical and plumbing infrastructure damaged by years of neglect.
For 23 years the Music Hall was run by a volunteer staff, primarily local music professor Berthold Ringeisen and his wife Helen. Due to its wooden arches, the theater's acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
are excellent enough that many classical music performances have been recorded there. In 2009, the Canadian Brass
Canadian Brass
The Canadian Brass is a brass quintet founded by Dr. Charles Daellenbach and Gene Watts in 1970. In addition to maintaining a heavy international touring schedule, the Canadian Brass have recorded over 80 CDs and DVDs...
could be heard clearly in the rear of the theater without amplification.
Bjorn Olsson was hired as the theater's first full-time professional director in 2003. That year the theater spent $100,000 to reroof one side of the building, replace the stage curtain, spotlights and sandbags. Four years later, in 2007, it bought the property behind the theater to use as staff parking and for a possible future loading dock
Loading dock
A loading dock is a recessed bay in a building or facility where trucks are loaded and unloaded. They are commonly found on commercial and industrial buildings, and warehouses in particular....
. The year afterwards, a local Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
chapter raised most of the money to replace the original air conditioning after it failed. The restrooms were made disabled accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
in 2011.
Today the theater hosts performances 180 days a year. Several films and television commercials have been shot in the building. A childrens' theater company and a local wind
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
ensemble are both in residence at the Music Hall. It is the oldest theater in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
still used for that purpose.