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Academy of Music Theatre
The Academy of Music Theatre
Map
Address274 Main St., Northampton, MA 01060
Northampton
United States
OwnerCity of Northampton
Capacity803 seats
OpenedMay 23, 1891
Website
http://www.academyofmusictheatre.com/

The Academy of Music Theatre is located in and owned by the City of Northampton, Massachusetts.

History

The Academy of Music was built by Edward H. R. Lyman in 1890.[1] Lyman earned his wealth as a tea and silk merchant.[2] He lived in New York City but was born in Northampton and kept a summer house there.[3] On his travels abroad for business, particularly in Germany, he was struck by the impact of publicly-funded theaters on the communities he visited.[4]

The building was designed by architect William C. Brocklesby of Hartford, Connecticut in the Renaissance Revival style. The reported cost was $100,000 for the 1,004 seat theater.[2] The Academy was opened to the public on May 23, 1891.[3] Lyman gave the theater to the city as a gift which required a bill to be passed through the state legislature.[2] Upon opening in 1892, the Academy of Music was the first municipally owned theater in the United States.[2]

The Northampton Players were the first theater company based out of the Academy of Music starting in 1912.[2] Before 1912, the Academy depended on touring companies.[2] At this time, the only other venues in Northampton were movie theaters.[2]

Present

The Academy of Music, Inc., is the operating entity for the building, and it is an independent, private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization governed by a board of trustees. The Northampton Mayor and Smith College President serve on the board, as was Lyman’s wish. The other board members are volunteers who have an interest in the performing arts, in the continued vitality of the City of Northampton, or who have special expertise related to the Academy’s operations.[5]

References

  1. ^ [Kneeland, Frederick Newton] (1894). Northampton, the meadow city; over two hundred and fifty illustrations. Northampton, Mass.: F. N. Kneeland and L. P. Bryant. p. 53.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Blake, Warren Barton (October 1914). "America's Only Municipal Theatre". The Theatre Magazine. pp. 166–170, 188. hdl:2027/uiug.30112001837530. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "The New Academy of Music Dedicated at Northampton". The Springfield Republican. May 24, 1891. p. 1. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  4. ^ Hornblow, Arthur (1919). A history of the theatre in America from its beginnings to the present time. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott.
  5. ^ "Academy of Music - History". Academy of Music Theatre. Retrieved 2011-02-11.

Further reading

External links

42°19′02″N 72°38′01″W / 42.3173°N 72.6336°W / 42.3173; -72.6336

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