London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

A New Hall in the Classical Style

The Nashville Symphony recently built an entirely new concert hall named the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. While we decry ‘centers’—what’s wrong with a ‘hall’?—the name does hold some significance for us, because Schermerhorn is, of course, an old New York name. The Schermerhorns were one of the first families of New York and there are numerous places and things named after them throughout the city and state. This concert hall bears the name in honor of Kenneth Schermerhorn, born in the traditional Schermerhorn stomping ground of Schenectady, New York, and conductor of the Nashville Symphony from 1983 until his death in 2005. He had also previously conducted (during his military service in Germany) the symphony orchestra of the U.S. Seventhy Army and later the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, as well as serving as music director to the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra and the American Ballet Theatre.

The new concert hall is built in an admirably traditional style, though if you look closely enough here and there you can see the craftsmanship still wasn’t quite up to snuff. Still, a step in the right direction, needless to say, and we decided to show you some photos for your general edification.


Image credit: Reliance Foundry

As often happens, an earlier plan was actually more beautiful. Note the harmonious double pediments in this image and compare it to the pediment versus clunky backdrop in the executed plan.

The actual concert hall within is rectangular, akin to that of the Musikverein in Vienna and the Grote Zaal of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The floor of the hall can actually be raised and lowered as per required, in order to accomodate balls and banquets in the main hall.

Opening night with Leonard Slatkin conducting.

Elsewhere: Classicist: Orpheus in Nashville

Published at 6:07 pm on Saturday 16 December 2006. Categories: Architecture.
Comments

That certainly is an interesting choice of capital for the columns and pilasters. I suppose it should be called the Egyptian Doric order?

Also, is there really an organ in there, or are the pipes just for show?

Han

— Han 16 Dec 2006 8:23 pm

Who designed the fountain?

— Peter 16 Dec 2006 9:38 pm

The pediment does seem laboured and the overall effort more ‘mock-Classical’ than ‘neo’, but gratifying to see the attempt at least made.

— Keir 22 Dec 2006 9:12 pm

To answer the questions from December… the fountain, the Birth of Apollo is by Casey Eskridge. The designers like to consider the columns a new order of columns and they’re calling them “Schermerhorn” order to be right along side Ionic, Doric and Corinthian.

— Kim B. 12 Mar 2007 12:33 pm

And there really is an organ, and the visible pipes are really a part of it, not just for show.

— Justin 28 Sep 2007 10:21 am
Leave a comment

NAME (required)

EMAIL (required)

WEBSITE (not required)

COMMENT

Home | About | Contact | Paginated Index | Twitter | Facebook | RSS/Atom Feed
andrewcusack.com | © Andrew Cusack 2004-present (Unless otherwise stated)