Historic Building 108 Years Old

by Kurt Steele

Some time during the 1930s or 1940s—decades when the Music Shed saw very little use—the building lost its cupola. “No one really knows how, ” says Samuel A. (Pete) Anderson, a trustee of the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate. “The story is that it blew off during a storm.” Starting in the 1950s the Shed was brought back into use, but musicians and concertgoers have suffered on sweltering summer nights because of the lost cupola—it was meant to provide the building’s ventilation.

Now the first phase of a long-planned restoration of the Music Shed has begun. It will include rebuilding the original cupola, along with a new roof and shingles for the building exterior and new windows. The work is expected to be finished in the spring of 2016 without any disruption to the concerts or teaching at the Norfolk Festival.

“What we hope,” says Anderson, “is that by improving the draw of air through the building, we can avoid ever having to put in air conditioning.”

As Paul Hawkshaw, the director of the festival, puts it, “The restoration will preserve and protect the integrity of the Music Shed while ensuring it is accessible and comfortable for present and future generations of music lovers.”

Since 1906 the Music Shed has served as the principal venue for the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and the Litchfield County Choral Union. Designed by American architect E. K. Rossiter and modeled after New York’s original Steinway Hall, its beautiful redwood interior has been described by the New York Times as an acoustic marvel.

Many of the world’s greatest performers and composers, including Fritz Kreisler, Jean Sibelius, Sergei Rachmaninov and, more recently, Pinchas Zukerman, Midori, Dave Brubeck, and the Tokyo String Quartet have appeared on its stage.

Hawkshaw said, “In the first phase we want to ensure the preservation of the Music Shed long term by securing the perimeter first.” The replacement of the cupola will return the building to its natural ventilation system and restore the historic structure to its original appearance.

The second phase will include upgraded and enlarged washrooms; refurbishment of the lobby, box office and patron welcome area; improvements in seating, drainage, plumbing, electrical and lighting; new carpets and finishes; improved patron accessibility; revitalized landscaping; modern projection capabilities for children’s and family events; and new rehearsal studios at the north end of the building.

The cost of the first phase is $2.4 million, with the state Fund for Historic Preservation contributing $200,000 to it. The entire project is estimated to cost $7 million.

A contractor for the first phase is being selected through a competitive bidding process established by the State of Connecticut for construction supported by state funds. The project is being supervised by world-renowned preservation architects, John G. Waite Associates of Albany, NY.

Fundraising for the Shed renovation was kicked off in 2012 by an anonymous 1-to-2 matching gift of $1 million. According to Hawkshaw, contributions toward the match total to date slightly over $1.6 million. In April the donor of the matching grant agreed to release $500,000 to allow the first phase of work to begin this summer. Hawkshaw said, “We are extremely grateful to all the donors who have made it possible for the restoration to begin. It is a historic moment in the history of Norfolk and in the history of music in America.”

Located in the heart of the Litchfield Hills, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, presented by the Yale School of Music, celebrates its 73rd season this year with performances and residencies of internationally esteemed ensembles and chamber musicians alongside students and young professionals from around the world.