Architecture
The modern style structure was designed by the architectural firms of Pietro Belluschi, Inc. and Jung/Brannen Associates and ground was broken November 10, 1978. Acoustical design was by Bolt, Beranek and Newman and uses a series of convex curves to avoid flat surfaces or ninety-degree angles inside the hall.
The auditorium is oval, its cylindrical wall extends the entire height of the building with the roof sloping down over the stage area. The exterior surface of the cylinder is covered in brown brick and rises through the lobby to be clearly discernible on the exterior of the building. Backstage areas are housed in a concentric oval which projects from the rear of the building while the lobby and patron areas are housed under a sloping metal roof which extends from the building's front. The exterior lobby walls feature large expanses of glass to open the building to the plaza which surrounds it.
The auditorium ceiling ranges from a height of 44 ft (13 m) above the stage to 62 ft (19 m) at the rear wall. The walls of the stage are covered in a light-colored wood and feature box seats. Suspended above the stage originally were 52 precast concrete "clouds" which helped diffuse sound. These were removed in 2001 and replaced with an acoustical canopy. The five-year renovation program which began in 1997, also included a new stage lighting system, new stage risers and equipment lift, expanded storage and performer dressing rooms, increased patron washrooms and improved access for patrons with physical disabilities.
The stage is 65 ft (20 m) wide and 35 ft (11 m) deep. To accommodate a chorus, the rear wall moves to provide an additional 12 ft (3.7 m) of space.
In addition to the main auditorium, the facility includes the John Gidwitz Recital Hall, reception and meeting rooms and administrative offices.
The Meyerhoff is immediately adjacent to the Cultural Center Station on the Baltimore Light Rail, and within walking distance of the State Center Station on the Baltimore Metro Subway.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
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