Aeolian Hall (New York)
The Aeolian Hall was a concert venue on 42nd Street in Manhattan , New York . Classical concerts were held here from 1912 to 1924. On February 12, 1924 , George Gershwin's composition Rhapsody in Blue was performed here for the first time .
Designed by architects Whitney Warren and Charles Wetmore, the building was completed in 1912. It is 80 meters high and has 18 floors. The concert hall, which offered space for 1,100 spectators, was on the third floor of the building.
The concert hall is named after the Aeolian Company , which manufactured pianos and pianolas and which moved their business to the 18-story new building in 1912. The New York Symphony Society decided to split their performances between the new Aeolian Hall and Carnegie Hall . In 1924 it was decided to perform in the newly opened “ Mecca Auditorium ” instead of the Aeolian Hall .
When the Aeolian Company moved again, they sold the building to a department store. Today the building is used by the State University College of Optometry.
Coordinates: 40 ° 45 ′ 15 " N , 73 ° 58 ′ 56" W.