Welcome to Severance Hall, one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world! Regarded by many music-lovers as one of the world's
most beautiful concert halls, Severance Hall opened in 1931 as the home of The
Cleveland Orchestra. The building is named for John L. Severance and his wife,
Elisabeth, who initially pledged $1 million for its construction.
Elisabeth died unexpectedly early in the design process, and John
Severance made additional contributions toward the building in her memory.
The building’s architectural significance has been recognized by local and
national preservation societies, including the Cleveland Landmarks Commission
and the National Register of Historic Places, and Severance Hall is a
recipient of the Honor Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
SEVERANCE, JOHN LONG (8 May 1863-16 Jan. 1936),
industrialist, was born in Cleveland to Louis Henry and Fannie Benedict
Severance. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1885 and returned to Cleveland
to work for STANDARD OIL CO. In 1892 Severance left Standard Oil to
work with the Cleveland Linseed Oil Co., a paint and varnish industry. In 1899
he was instrumental in founding American Linseed Co., into which Cleveland
Linseed was merged. In 1901 he organized and became president of Colonial Salt
Co., and about the same time helped form Linde Air Prods. His other business
connections included serving as chairman of the board of Cleveland Arcade Co.
and Youngstown Steel Door Co., and as director of Cleveland Trust Co.
and Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. Philanthropically, he was president of the CLEVELAND
MUSEUM OF ART and MUSICAL ARTS ASSN. Besides being a liberal
benefactor to the art museum during his life, at his death he left it a
collection valued at over $3 million. In 1929 he gave the city $1.5 million to
build a concert hall for the Cleveland Orchestra; in 1930 increasing
his donation to $2.5 million in memory of his wife. Severance was an initial
member of the Cleveland Community Fund; a trustee of Oberlin College,
Western Reserve University, and Nanking University in China. He sponsored
Severance Medical School & Hospital at Seoul, Korea, an institution founded
by his father. Severance married Elizabeth Huntington DeWitt in 1891; she died
in 1929. They had no children. Severance died in Cleveland and is buried in Lake
View Cemetery.
The interior rooms and areas reflected a planned and
harmonious eclecticism. The building included a grand entrance foyer with
soaring columns, and a small performance hall for chamber concerts as well as
the main concert hall. Certain design elements used throughout the building
were intended to tie together the diverse styles of Art Deco, French Nouveau,
Classicism, Egyptian Revival, and Modernism. One such unifying design idea was
the lotus blossom, said to have been the favorite flower of Mrs. Severance.
Lotus flowers and papyrus leaf patterns appear in many shapes, formats, and
sizes throughout the public areas of the hall.
Under the leadership of Music Director Franz
Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra has become one of the most sought-after
performing ensembles in the world. In concerts at its winter home at Severance
Hall and at each summer’s Blossom Festival, in residencies from Miami to Vienna
to New York, and on tour around the world, The Cleveland Orchestra sets
standards of artistic excellence, creative programming, and community
engagement.
The Cleveland Orchestra was founded in 1918 by a
group of local citizens. It has been led by seven music directors (Nikolai
Sokoloff 1918-33, Artur Rodzinski 1933-43, Erich Leinsdorf 1943-46, George
Szell 1946-70, Lorin Maazel 1972-82, Christoph von Dohnányi 1984-2002, and
Franz Welser-Möst 2002-present) and one musical advisor (Pierre Boulez 1970-72).
Expansion to a year-round schedule was made possible in 1968 with the opening
of Blossom Music Center, an outdoor facility in nearby Cuyahoga Falls that is
home to the Orchestra’s Blossom Festival. The Cleveland Orchestra’s educational
programs, a cornerstone of the Orchestra’s original mission, have introduced
more than four million Cleveland-area schoolchildren to symphonic music since
1921. Today, touring, residencies, radio broadcasts, and recordings
available by internet download and on DVD and CD provide access to the
Orchestra’s music-making to a broad and loyal constituency around the world.
