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Carnegie Hall was built in 1890 by steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The New York Philharmonic performed here until 1962 when they decamped to Linclon Center. On December 16, 1893, Dvorak's New World Symphony (No. 9) had its premiere here. Other famous premieres include An American in Paris by George Gershwin on December 13, 1928 and Variations on a Theme of Corelli by Rachmaninoff with the composer on piano, November 7, 1931. The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1925 when it was sold to real estate developer Robert Simon, Sr. When Simon died in 1935, ownership passed to his son Robert E. Simon, who in turn sold the hall to the city in 1960 for $5 million, money with which he purchased the land outside of Washington that eventually became my hometown, Reston (the first three letters bearing its founder's initials). Simon still lives down the street from my family in Reston, and I still have a letter that he wrote me in 1999 in response to urban planning concerns. |