Projects

In order to preserve, improve, promote and provide education to our Community and the region, Friends of Music Hall (formerly Society for the Preservation of Music Hall - SPMH) fulfills this mission by funding special projects to draw people to this significant structure of National Historical prominence.

Projects that support Music Hall are made possible by your financial contribution to Friends of Music Hall. Make your donation today!

Restoration of the Floor in the Grand Foyer

The Friends of Music Hall has funded the preservation and restoration of Music Hall's red, white, and black stone lobby floor – for the first time in 146 years.

The diamond-shaped geometric pattern in red slate and white marble bordered by black limestone is the most stunning 1878 interior architectural feature of the structure.

The restoration occurred in July and August 2024. FMH historian Thea Tjepkema describes the process and the story behind the stonework in the blog titled The Stone of Music Hall: The Lobby Floor Restoration Project & Isaac Graveson.

The Botanical Model of Cincinnati Music Hall

The talented artists at Applied Imagination spent over 17-hundred hours to create this stunning model of Music Hall. The materials came from nature and included leaves, pods, cones, sticks, curls, caps, tree bark and more. The project was funded through in partnership with Cincinnati Parks.

The model is displayed each year at the Krohn Conservatory in November and December as part of their holiday event.

Organ Panel Restoration

Our organization undertook the task of acquiring and refinishing many of the beautiful art-carved panels of the original Hook and Hastings Organ in Music hall. They are now on display in the Taft Suite and can be seen on tours of Music Hall.

In February 2022, members of the Lichtenberg Family donated the Mendelssohn art-carved panel. After the panel is restored, it will be added to the display in Taft Suite.

The Mendelssohn is an important addition as it is the only panel both designed and carved by Laura Fry, an American artist who was also exceptionally talented in wood carving. Laura was the daughter of master wood carver William H. Fry, who, with his father Henry L. Fry, were key figures in the art-carved furniture movement.

Historic Sandstone Ornamentation Restoration

The original carved sandstone has deteriorated to the point that only portions of these important decorative elements remain others have been completely lost. This restoration is part of the continuing effort by the Friends of Music Hall to renew the architectural integrity of the exterior of this great Cincinnati landmark.

• Read about the restoration of this essential historic ornamentation

Community Outreach: Tours and Education Programs

Tours provide an "Insider's Look" at Music Hall.

The Friends of Music Hall Speakers Series brings Music Hall to you and your organization through a "virtual" tour.

Community Outreach features an In-School Program on Music Hall for students grades 3-5 which is aligned with state standards for History and Art.

 

Special Projects also include hosting BLINK in the Ballroom during that biennial event, an award-winning historic documentary, Music Hall - Cincinnati Finds Its Voice, and Cincinnati Music Hall: The Next Movement, a new feature program produced by CET on the structure's renovation.