History of The Bank and Music Hall
The Troy Savings Bank was founded in 1823 and moved to its current location in 1870. The plans for the new building included a music hall on the upper floor.
In the early years of the 20th century the Music Hall featured performances from artists such as Lillian Nordica, Henri Vieuxtemps, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Albert Spalding, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Myra Hess and Jose Iturbi. In the 1930s and 1940s, artists including Vladimir Horowitz, Yehudi Menuhin and Artur Rubinstein played there. It was a usual stop for a musician on a tour around America.
Apparently not up to modern building codes, there was long a tradition that prior to each performance the Fire Marshal would come out on stage and announce "There is absolutely no smoking in the Hall. If you have to smoke, you can hit the streets at half time."
Following World War II, Troy's wealth declined and so did the bank's. Many public initiatives were begun to save the bank (and thus the music hall) from closure. Ideas included establishing a Museum of Industrial and Folk Art downstairs and renting the Hall itself to the area's many colleges. In 1989 the building was declared a National Historic Landmark. It is also a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District.
Read more about this topic: Troy Savings Bank
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