WHEREAS, The Academy of Music opened in 1857 and is the oldest Grand Opera House in the United States that is still used for its original purpose, the Academy quickly became America’s most prestigious Opera House; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, the Academy not only served as a venue for the Performing Arts Community, but has also hosted many graduation ceremonies, along with several Presidential Conventions and other important public events; and
WHEREAS, in 1963, The Academy of Music was designated a National Historic Landmark and has benefited from millions of dollars raised by the Restoration Fund during the past 50 years; and
WHEREAS, The Academy served as the Philadelphia Orchestra’s main concert hall for more than a century, the Orchestra purchased the Academy in 1957, and performs each year for the Academy’s anniversary; and
WHEREAS, The Academy of Music has had a host of legendary artists grace its stage, from the disciplines of classical to popular music, dance, and drama including Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Marian Anderson, Frank Sinatra, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Anna Pavlova, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, and Margot Fonteyn; and
WHEREAS, The Academy of Music has also hosted several sporting events, in 1866, the Academy was turned into an indoor skating rink; in 1889 a wooden floor was installed over the Parquet level to create space for an indoor football game between the University of Pennsylvania and the Riverton Club of Princeton; and, then again in 1892, for the University of Pennsylvania for a track meet; and
WHEREAS, The Academy of Music has also been a part of other historical and cultural events, such as a demonstration of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1877, when Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra gave the first ever concert in stereophonic sound in 1933; in 1937, the film
One Hundred Gentleman and a Girl
featured the Academy and the Philadelphia Orchestra; and, also, in 1939, the Orchestra recorded the soundtrack to the Disney classic
Fantasia
at the Academy; now, therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADLEPHIA, That it Honors, Congratulates, and Celebrates the August Legacy and important contributions to the City of Philadelphia of the Academy of Music on its 150th Anniversary: 1857 - 2007
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Academy of Music, further evidencing the sincere respect and gratitude of this legislative body.
End