Dates
in Use: 1857
to present
Location: Southwest corner of Broad and Locust streets
Major Renovations:
Architect(s): Napoleon Lebrun and Gustav Runge
Alternate Names:
The city of Philadelphia held an open competition in 1854 for architects to design the new Academy of Music, which they believed would become the new premier theater of the city. Although the stage and auditorium were later found too large for spoken drama, the Academy became and remained the major site for musical and operatic performance in the city for nearly 150 years. Now with a brand new competitor, the Kimmel Center, the Academy still stands as the world's oldest grand opera house still in use for its original purpose.