Academy of Music

The Academy of Music, a National Historic Landmark, has served as Philadelphia’s premier opera house, concert hall and live performance venue since its opening in 1857. VITETTA was the design team lead, architect and preservationist for the comprehensive Academy for the 21st Century restoration and modernization project. This complete refurbishment began in 1996 and was phased over several summer “dark time” periods when the Philadelphia Orchestra was not in residence. Intense and fast-moving, the round-the-clock projects, executed in roughly twelve week periods have returned the building to its original splendor while modernizing and upgrading building, acoustical and theatrical systems. Our projects have included restoration of the auditorium’s finishes and cleaning and conservation of ceiling murals, construction of new back-of-house spaces below the stage including replacing the stage and stage lifts, replacing house seating, enlarging and modernizing the stage loft and installing a new steel truss roof structure.