Carnegie Hall, New York
Modern America's short history was no impediment in the quick growth of culture and arts. In 1890, only 114 years after the Declaration of Independence, Andrew Carnegie was financing the construction of the "Music Hall". The building was going to house the Oratorio Society of New York and the New York Symphony Society on whose board Carnegie was a member. The opening concert was conducted by maestro Walter Damrosch and composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky on May 5 1891. Only two years later, the Music Hall was renamed Carnegie Hall after board members convinced Carnegie of the importance of using his name. The building was sold and resold, and in 1960, with the New York Philharmonic on the move to Lincoln Center, the building was going to be demolished to make room for a commercial skyscraper. Violinist Isaac Stern and many of the artist residents made pressure and saved the building by convinving the city of New York to buy the estate from Simon, the commercial developer. The nonprofit C