The Academy of Music is the oldest opera house in the United States still in continuous use for its original purpose. Opened in 1857 on South Broad Street, the building was designed by the architects Napoleon LeBrun and Gustavus Runge after the model of La Scala in Milan, and impresses with an opulent auditorium of red velvet and gold crowned by an enormous crystal chandelier. With around 2,500 seats, the Academy was for almost a century and a half the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, until the orchestra moved to the neighbouring Kimmel Center in 2001. Today the landmark – a National Historic Landmark – serves above all as the venue for Opera Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Ballet, as well as for touring productions and major Broadway tours. A magnificent historic theatre, the Academy of Music embodies the city's rich musical tradition.
The exterior was deliberately left plain – almost the entire budget went into the opulent interior.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Philadelphia, USA
- Address
- 240 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
More venues in Philadelphia
- Academy of Vocal Arts · Opera house, Philadelphia
- Kimmel Center · Concert hall, Philadelphia
- The Mann Center for the Performing Arts · Concert hall, Philadelphia
- The Met Philadelphia · Opera house, Philadelphia
- Walnut Street Theatre · Theatre, Philadelphia
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