Carnegie Hall Bill

Location

Description

The Carnegie Hall Bill is a piece of legislation put forth in early 1960 with the intention of saving Carnegie Hall from the wrecking ball. New York State Senator McNeil Mitchell sponsored the bill and helped with its passage through the state legislature1. The Carnegie Hall Bill allowed New York City to acquire the ill-fated building in order to preserve it.

Key Dates in Preservation Activity

January 1960 - Announcement of the proposed demolition of Carnegie Hall
April 1960 - Carnegie Hall Bill passes through State Legislature
July 1960 - New York City takes ownership of Carnegie Hall

Involvement with Preservation Campaigns and Related Activies

In January 1960, Robert E. Simon, Jr., owner of the controlling interest of Carnegie Hall, announced that the building had been slated for demolition after nearly seventy years as a cultural institution in New York City2. Immediately New Yorkers began defending the institution and by February a citizens committee had been created. Still, the public interest alone was not enough to preserve the building.
In order to save the building it was necessary to take legislative measures. The plan was to create two pieces of legislation. The first would create the Carnegie Hall Corporation, a non-profit organization. The second necessary piece of legislation was the bill put forth by McNeil Mitchell known as the Carnegie Hall Bill3.
Although inspired by the battle to preserve Carnegie Hall, the bill was drafted in such a way that it could be used for future preservation battles. The bill gave the power to any city in New York State "to acquire by condemnation any 'property with historic or esthetic interest or value4.'" In a few short weeks the bill was passed by both the state assembly and senate, thereby creating a means by which Carnegie Hall could be saved.
By mid-April 1960, the Carnegie Hall Bill had been signed by Governor Rockefeller5. However, the battle to preserve the building was not yet over. While McNeil Mitchell's bill allowed the city to buy the property, it did not require it to do so. The relief came in May when the Board of Estimate approved the city's purchase of Carnegie Hall6. By July 1, 1960 New York City bought Carnegie Hall and began a thirty-year lease to the Carnegie Hall Corporation7.

Archives, Personal files, and Ephemera

An oral history with Isaac Stern on the preservation efforts at Carnegie Hall can be made available upon request. Please contact the New York Preservation Archive Project for more information.

• 1. Wood, Anthony C. Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. New York: Routledge, 2008.
• 2. Wood, Anthony C. Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. New York: Routledge, 2008.
  
• 3. "Saving of Carnegie Hall Enabled in Bills Signed by Rockefeller," New York Times. April 17, 1960.
  
• 4. "Saving Carnegie Hall," New York Times. March 21, 1960.
  
• 5. "Carnegie's Lights Look Brighter," New York Times. April 19, 1960.
  
• 6. "Lights Up at Carnegie Hall," New York Times. May 2, 1960.
  
• 7. "Carnegie Hall Is Bought by City; Philharmonic Will Stay There," New York Times. July 1, 1960.