Carnegie Hall opens in New York City

On May 5, 1891, the great auditorium at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street opened with a lavish five-day music festival. Built for the Oratorio Society of New York and bankrolled by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, the venue first went by the plain name “Music Hall”; it was renamed Carnegie Hall in 1898 in honor of its principal investor.

The opening week’s marquee draw was Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, making his first American appearance. He conducted several of his own works during the festival, including his Marche solennelle, lending the new hall instant international prestige.

Possession of such a hall is in itself an incentive for culture.

Designed by architect William Tuthill in an Italian Renaissance style, the hall became a National Historic Landmark and one of the most celebrated stages in the world. From classical premieres to jazz, folk, and rock, an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall has signaled artistic arrival for well over a century.