- published: 02 Oct 2009
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Public Auditorium — often referred to as Public Hall — is a multi-purpose performing arts, entertainment, and exposition facility located in the central business district of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Although Public Auditorium was planned and funded prior to World War I, construction did not begin until 1920, and the structure did not open until 1922. Designed by city architect J. Harold McDowell and Frank Walker of Walker and Weeks in a neoclassical style matching the other Group Plan buildings, it was the largest of its kind when opened, seating 11,500.
The auditorium cornerstone was laid on Oct. 20, 1920, and the completed building was dedicated on April 15, 1922. Smith & Oby was one local company involved in the project, at the time the largest convention hall in the United States. In 1927, the Music Hall was added at the south end of the auditorium. The main arena floor is 300 ft. long, 215 ft. wide, 80 ft. high. No columns were used in its construction. The main stage is 140 ft. by 60 ft., with a 72- by 42-ft. proscenium arch. The stage is set between the main hall and the music hall and is shared by both halls using a curtain system. A key attraction was a spectacular pipe organ, the largest ever built at one time by E.M. Skinner with 10,010 pipes and 150 direct speaking stops.
Coordinates: 13°04′55″N 80°16′21″E / 13.08192°N 80.2726°E / 13.08192; 80.2726
Victoria Public Hall, or the Town Hall, is a historical building in Chennai, named after Victoria, Empress of India. It is one of the finest examples of British architecture in Chennai and was built to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. It served as a theatre and public assembly room in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. It now houses the South Indian Athletic Association Club.
In a meeting held in March 1882 at the Pachaiyappa's Hall in George Town by some leading citizens, the decision to construct a town hall for Madras was taken. This resulted in the mobilisation of a sum of 16,425 from around 30 persons who attended the meeting, and a 12-member trust was formed for the execution of the project. The municipal corporation leased a 57-ground (3.14 acres) site in the People's Park to the Victoria Public Hall Trust for 99 years effective from 1 April 1886 at a lease rent of eight annas a ground or 28 for the property. The then Maharajah of Vizianagaram, Sir Ananda Gajapathi Row, laid the foundation stone for the new building on 17 December 1883, who also led a list of 35 donors for the construction work with a contribution of 10,000. The list included the Travancore Maharajah ( 8,000), Mysore Maharajah, Pudukottai Rajah and former Madras High Court Judge Muthuswamy Iyer (all 1,000 each) and P.Orr and Sons, a city-based watch company ( 1,400). Other contributors included Ramnad Raja Bhaskara Setupati, Zamindar of Ettiapuram and Hadji Abdul Batcha Sahib. It took about five years to complete the construction.