Carnegie Hall Archives Preservation Project

FAIN: PG-51188-11

Carnegie Hall Society (New York, NY 10019-3293)
Gino Francesconi (Project Director: May 2010 to October 2012)

The purchase of preservation supplies to rehouse two collections of archival materials that provide a detailed history of the last fifty years of musical performances at Carnegie Hall, from initial planning through final realization on stage. Students, teachers, production researchers, documentarians, and news organizations consult these materials extensively, and their preservation was identified as a priority in a 2009 assessment.

The project will enable Carnegie Hall's Archives to rehouse and preserve two of its paper-based collections that are core to its permanent collection of papers, programs, audio and video recordings, manuscripts, ephemera, objects, architectural drawings, photographs and other materials that document the rich and varied, 120-year history of the world renowned performing arts facility--a history that mirrors the social and cultural history of the United States. The Carnegie Hall Presents and Hall Operations Collections provide a complete record of how more than 6,000 performances have been brought to life on the three stages of Carnegie Hall since the historic structure was saved from demolition and a non-profit corporation was founded in 1961.