Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

Miller Symphony Hall is a neoclassical concert hall at 27 N 6th Street in downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania. It began in the 1890s as a city market, grew into a theatre, and has been the home of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra since the late 1940s. Today it is one of the best-known cultural landmarks in the city centre.

The story behind it

The building opened in 1896 as the Central Market, at the corner of Sixth and Court Streets. As a market it struggled commercially, and almost from the start the hall was used for concerts. In 1899 the theatre-building firm of J.B. McElfatrick converted it into a proper theatre called the Lyric.

In the early 1920s the architect David Levy, remembered as Allentown's first Jewish architect, gave the building the neoclassical front that passers-by see today. The Allentown Symphony Orchestra made the Lyric its home in the late 1940s, and in 1959 the building was bought to serve as a dedicated concert hall under the name Allentown Symphony Hall. It took its current name in 2012, honouring the Miller family, owners of The Morning Call newspaper.

What to look for

• The classical facade on North 6th Street is the part Levy redesigned in the 1920s, and it looks far grander than the market hall it grew out of.
• The name Miller Symphony Hall on the building is a reminder of the 2012 renaming and of the local family behind it.
• The corner of Sixth and Court Streets is where the Central Market first opened in 1896, so it is worth a moment to picture a market in place of a concert venue.
• The streets around the hall show how downtown Allentown mixes older commercial buildings with newer additions, which makes the facade easy to compare with its neighbours.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 10 to 15 minutes to see the exterior and read the surroundings, longer if you plan to attend a performance.
• Daylight is best for appreciating the facade, while evenings can be livelier when a show is on.
• You can go inside by attending a concert or event, so check the current schedule and opening hours before you travel.
• The hall sits in the middle of downtown, so it combines easily with a longer walk through the surrounding blocks.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Allentown is a good way to meet this landmark if you like your history with a spooky edge. You reach the hall on foot as one stop on a longer route through downtown, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Allentown suits anyone who prefers a whodunit to a lecture. The route passes Miller Symphony Hall among other places in the area, the app explains each stop as you reach it, and you work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, with no guide to meet and no fixed start time.