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September 2008

THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC Crystal Chandelier

1850s Chandelier is designed by Cornelius and Baker of Philadelphia. The firm also designed

lighting fixtures for the United States Capitol and Treasury, capitol buildings throughout the nation, and several Newport mansions.

At over 20 feet high and 12 feet in diameter, the Academy’s chandelier is the largest lighting fixture the firm produced and the largest gas chandelier of its day. Although it would become outdated within a few decades, its gas lighting system with 240 gas burners was cutting edge technology that was still unknown in Europe at the time.

1857 Academy of Music opens on January 26, 1857. The chandelier is a source of wonder.

The Daily Evening Bulletin reports, “Nothing could exceed the brilliancy and beauty of the great chandelier with its hundreds of lights like wax tapers, and the general effect of the whole superb interior, under the influence of abundant light, was very fine.”

Diarist Sidney George Fisher writes, “The central chandelier is very beautiful, light, airy, of cut glass, with innumerable burners; it looks like a fairy fabric of gleaming crystals and diamonds.”

1880-96 Philadelphia’s first electric lights are installed in 1880. Before the turn of the century, the chandelier is converted, probably in stages, from gas to electricity.

The earliest photograph of the chandelier (right), dated 1894, shows its appearance after the conversion.

The Academy of Music 43nd Annual Report (1895-96) states that “the border and side lights on the stage were wired for electricity. The entire house was, in stages, being electrified.”

1957-63 The Philadelphia Orchestra Association buys the Academy of Music and begins a major restoration project.

The chandelier is rewired and fitted with an electric-powered winch, allowing it to be lowered in a matter of minutes rather than hours.

Work is also done on the murals and woodwork, and a new orchestra shell is constructed. The restoration continues through 1963.

PAGE 2 Timeline of the Academy of Music’s chandelier

September 2008

1950s-70s Various elements are added to the chandelier in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. These include black scoop lights to illuminate the mural above and metal cups to direct light to the parquet below (right).

1994-2002 In 1994 The Philadelphia Orchestra Association launches the “Project for the 21st Century,” a $40 million campaign to restore, renovate, and modernize the Academy.

The renovations include asbestos removal; basement excavations; new steel supporting trusses above the auditorium; restoration and renovation of seating, seating areas, and surfaces throughout the auditorium; backstage renovations; a new stage floor; a new stage shell for concerts; electrical and mechanical upgrading, replacement, and refurbishing; raising of the building’s roof by 10 feet; and a state-of-the-art cable and counterweight system to replace the outdated hemp rope-and-sandbag rigging.

In 1998 the chandelier is cleaned and minor improvements are made. The “Project for the 21st Century” is completed in November 2002.

June 2007 The chandelier is removed from the Academy for the first time in 150 years for an extensive 13-month renovation project. The fixture is disassembled and sent to France, where it is renovated to reflect its original appearance.

The project is overseen by John Trosino, senior associate and senior project director of interiors of KlingStubbins in Philadelphia. The renovation work is done by Mathieu Lustrerie—a firm specializing in the creation, reproduction, and restoration of gilded bronze and crystal chandeliers, sconces, and lamps—in its workshops in southern France.

Sept 2008 The renovated chandelier is returned to the Academy of Music and unveiled at a public ceremony on September 24, 2008. The chandelier renovation is part of a larger project to enhance the auditorium’s lighting in a way that complements the restored chandelier and illuminates other decorative elements, such as the ceiling mural, the medallion of Mozart, and the gilded statues and elaborate woodwork. $1.2 million has been raised to support the project; the total cost is $1.75 million.