History
Designed by Max Abramovitz, the hall opened in 1962 as Philharmonic Hall, as the new home concert venue of the New York Philharmonic, after the orchestra moved from Carnegie Hall. The hall was renamed for Avery Fisher, a member of the Philharmonic board of directors, following his $10.5 million donation to the orchestra in 1973. In June 2006 the New York Times reported that Avery Fisher Hall was scheduled to begin undergoing renovations in the summer of 2010, delayed from previous announcements of renovations in 2009. By 2012 it became clear that construction would not start before 2017. The shell of the building will be left intact; the renovations are intended to improve the hall’s lackluster acoustics, replace outdated patron amenities and reconfigure the auditorium. The building will retain its name — in part because the family of Avery Fisher, for whom the hall was renamed in 1973, has threatened legal action if the building’s name were to change. The auditorium, however, is expected to be a major naming opportunity for a donor.
Read more about this topic: Avery Fisher Hall
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