It opened in 1927 as Loew’s Penn Theatre, one of the grandest movie palaces in America — and very nearly ended as a parking lot. Saved by civic leaders including H.J. Heinz II, the theater was reborn in 1971 as Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s gilded home and the anchor of the Cultural District.
The restoration kept the palace magic: the grand lobby’s chandeliers and marble, the auditorium’s gold and crimson glow, some 2,700 seats rising in sweeping tiers. Acousticians gave it a second life as a concert hall without dimming its movie-palace soul — you hear the PSO in a room that looks like a celebration.
Heinz Hall stands at 600 Penn Avenue downtown, hosting the PSO, film concerts, comedy and special events year-round. Schedules at pittsburghsymphony.org and trustarts.org. Arrive early and look up.
