Carnegie Hall is one of the world’s foremost concert venues. It was built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, and is located just two blocks south of Central Park in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Carnegie Hall offers a wide array of events year-round, with something for every patron.
The building was originally known simply as "Music Hall" until 1893, when the hall’s governing body permitted Andrew Carnegie the use of his name on the building. Until 1925, the Hall was owned by the Carnegie family, until Mrs. Carnegie sold it to a real estate developer. In 1960, the building was scheduled to be demolished, but the City of New York was persuaded to buy the Hall for $5 after protests from violinist Isaac Stern and several resident artists. The history of Carnegie Hall was forever cemented in 1962, when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1892, the first black performer in Carnegie Hall history took the stage when Sissieretta Jones gave a singing performance. The hall was also the first major concert venue in the United States to hold a bi-racial concert event. In 1938, the Benny Goodman orchestra performed to a sold-out crowd, featuring such performers as Count Basie and Duke Ellington’s Orchestra. In 1900, the youngest performer in the history of Carnegie Hall took the stage when four-year-old Lolita Val de Cabrera Gainsborg gave a piano performance. The New York Philharmonic is the most frequent performer in the history of the hall, with more than 5,000 concerts to their credit.
Performances entered a new age in 1955, when Bill Haley and his Comets gave the first rock n’ roll performance in Carnegie Hall history. Rock acts were rarely booked at the hall until The Beatles performed on stage twice during their American tour in 1964. Since then, numerous rock, jazz, country and blues performers have performed at the hall every season. Hip-hop was performed at the hall for the first time on October 31, 1985, when Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Melle Mel performed a benefit concert for their documentary film "A Matter of Struggle".
Carnegie Hall is located at 881 7th Avenue at 57th Street, within walking distance of many fine restaurants, theaters, and world-class shopping. This makes Carnegie hall the perfect way to cap off a night in New York City, and one of the highlights of a vacation to the Big Apple.
