Arts Council Director Bob Cilman said Wednesday he is hopeful the Academy of Music will be fully operational for the series finale, “The Really Big Show,” on Feb. 24.
Balcony seating doubles the capacity of the Academy of Music.
NORTHAMPTON – A crumbling fire escape prompted the city’s building commissioner to close the balcony of the Academy of Music, forcing Sunday’s Young@Heart choral concert to move to John M. Greene Hall.
Pieces of the fire escape, which is an original part of the 19th-century theater building, fell to the ground in Pulaski Park before last weekend’s snow storm, according to building commissioner Louis Hasbrouck. Parks and Recreation Department workers noticed the debris and notified Hasbrouck on Feb. 5.
An inspection by Hasbrouck found that a stair bracket had fallen, perhaps after being struck by ice falling from the roof. He determined there were structural defects in four of the five fire escapes at the academy building.
“It was pretty obviously an issue,” he said on Wednesday.
Hasbrouck determined the Academy of Music could not safely use the balcony for its events, but that it was safe to use the rest of the building. Because of the closure, the Arts Council did not sell balcony tickets for its Mardival concert, one of its Four Sundays in February events.
The main floor of the academy seats 400, while the balcony also has 400 seats.
This Sunday’s event, which features the Young@Heart Chorus along with the PS 22 Chorus, a fifth-grade singing group from New York, projected to sell so many tickets that it was moved to Smith College’s John M. Greene Hall, which has a larger capacity.
Arts Council director Bob Cilman said he is hopeful the Academy of Music will be fully operational for the series finale, “The Really Big Show,” on Feb. 24. That event normally sells out.
After consulting with a structural engineer and an architect, however, Hasbrouck could give neither a timetable for the repairs or an estimate of the cost.
Mayor David J. Narkewicz said the repairs could be funded through the Central Services Department or the city’s free cash fund.
“Whatever it is, it’s something we have to do,” Narkewicz said.
The cost of replacing the fire escapes, which will be considerably greater, could become a capita improvement project, the mayor said. The replacement might also be eligible for Community Preservation Act funds.