FOUR YEARS AGO, Cincinnati Music Hall had the dubious distinction of being placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Endangered Historic Places" list.A National Historical Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Victorian Gothic structure, designed by architect Samuel Hannaford (1835-1911) and completed in 1878, takes up a full block across from Washington Park in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.But while Washington Park and the neighborhood had seen extensive reinvestment in recent years, the pride of the Queen City had not undergone a serious refresh in half a century; nor was it ADA-accessible.To reestablish the venue as a vibrant anchor in the city, Cincinnati Center City DevelopmentCorporation (3CDC) and key stakeholders (notably the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) developed a renovation strategy with nine goals. Key among them: restoring architectural integrity, improving accessibility, upgrading the Springer Auditorium to meet the technical requirements of the five in-house performance companies (Opera, Pops, Orchestra, Ballet, and May Festival), and connecting with the neighborhood-all to be done under the purview of the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service.
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