Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland undergoes first major renovation, restoration

Aug. 16—For the first time in its history, the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland is undergoing major interior restoration and renovations.

The project got underway in late June and includes the installation of air conditioning and new seating, restoration of murals and the grand proscenium arch and electrical upgrades.

The music hall is part of the historic Carnegie Museums and Library complex along Forbes Avenue, built in 1895 by industrialist Andrew Carnegie.

"If you have been to the music hall, you know just how beautiful it is. Unfortunately, it hasn't had any major renovations in its entire history," said Betsy Momich, communications director for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. "Restoring this iconic cultural space in Pittsburgh has been a long time coming."

The new HVAC system is especially significant, Momich said, because without air conditioning, "in the summer months, the music hall is pretty much dormant, which is such a shame."

"This renovation will allow us to use this celebrated venue year-round and welcome all audiences in greater comfort," said Steven Knapp, the museum system's president and CEO.

In replacing the original seats, the museum had "a dumpster-last philosophy," said Michael Volpatt, vice president of marketing and innovation of Castle Shannon-based Volpatt Construction, which is overseeing the entire project.

"We wanted to do everything we could to eliminate just sending the chairs to the landfill," he said. "We came up with a few unique ways to do that."

The old chairs first were offered to Carnegie Museum donors.

"We harvested some of the fabric from the chairs and there also were two very large bolts of fabric that were used to restore the chairs when there were problems," Volpatt said. "That fabric is being donated to the Green Voice of Pittsburgh for Ecolution."

The annual Ecolution Fashion Gala features runway looks created by local designers using reused and recycled materials.

"A local designer will design a dress using the fabric from the chairs," Volpatt said.

Finally, metal from the remaining chairs went to a recycler.

The new, wider seats are custom-designed with classic wood and metal details. Some changes are being made to the overall layout of the theater to improve sight lines and to provide extra safety and better ADA accommodations.

This will result in a small reduction in the total number of seats, although a final count isn't yet available, Momich said.

"Paint and plaster restoration is such a big part of this project that we're erecting a 60-foot scaffold in the center of the hall, which is being used to restore the grand dome, which has had some water damage," Volpatt said.

Historic paint, mural and proscenium restoration will be done by Patrinos Painting of Bethel Park. This includes hiring an art conservator to clean and touch up the hall's original murals, Volpatt said.

McKamish Inc. of Upper Lawrenceville is handling the HVAC modernization. Electrical upgrades are being completed by Keystone Electrical Systems of North Versailles.

Work is scheduled to be completed by early next summer. Booking for post-renovation events is expected to begin soon, Momich said.

Total project cost is about $8 million.

"We did receive funding from the state for the music hall project, so we'll be funding the majority of the renovation costs through public money and private donations," said Momich, adding that there was "a strong response to our early fundraising efforts."

The Allegheny Regional Asset District provided $350,000 for the HVAC system.

Total amount raised for the work will be announced later in the year, Momich said.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .