Cohoes Music Hall

Address:
58 Remsen Street
Cohoes, NY

Owner: City of Cohoes

Completion Date: 1974

The Cohoes Music Hall opened as an opera house in November of 1874. It failed in this capacity within a few decades and, after conversion to a dance hall, was abandoned. After three-quarters of a century of disuse, the City of Cohoes decided to reopen it as a repertory theater.

The architects were required to coordinate their efforts with sub-contractors and artisans to meet a tight construction schedule of only six months in order to reopen the Cohoes Music Hall on the centennial of its original opening. The condition of the space and results of earlier alterations necessitated reconstruction of the original wood stage, sloped orchestra floor, and wood seating tiers; stabilization of plaster and other decorative elements; and replication of missing components. The original color scheme was determined through careful analysis of existing paint samples and reapplied. Artisan David Hall was able to recreate the spectacular polychrome decorative canvas ceiling and scenic stage curtain based on extant fabric fragments and historic photographs.

The insertion of new electrical and mechanical systems, including sprinklers and a humidity control system, were installed without compromising the historic integrity of this remarkable example of a Victorian theater.

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