Historic Preservation

Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, on the National Register of Historic Places, is the nation’s oldest grand opera house still used for its original function. The cultural center is home to opera, music, ballet, and community events. Keast & Hood Co. designed repairs and supplemental framing to support the historic timber roof trusses over the Ballroom. New steel beams were threaded through the roof of the historic building as supports for original trusses. Additional steel framing was engineered to support new decorative chandeliers. The structural engineering effort was part of a complete historic restoration of the grand Ballroom, including replication of the original paint scheme. The project earned a 2010 Preservation Achievement Award from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.