Lenfest Hall: 1616 Locust Street
Construction Updates

Lenfest Hall is the first major expansion of the Curtis Institute of Music's campus in more than two decades. Named in honor of Curtis Board Chairman H. F. "Gerry" Lenfest and Curtis Overseer Marguerite Lenfest, the building is designed by renowned Philadelphia architects Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.

Scheduled to open in 2011, the facility addresses Curtis's long-established needs for additional space, including an appropriate orchestra rehearsal room and greatly expanded teaching and practice facilities to relieve excessive pressures on the historic main building at 1726 Locust Street. The building will also allow Curtis to provide, for the first time, student residences and dining facilities for the Curtis community.

Message from President Roberto Díaz, April 27, 2009

Press release: THE CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC BREAKS GROUND ON NEW FACILITY

Fact sheet

Press release: THE CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC MEETS $30 MILLION CHALLENGE TO EXPAND CAMPUS

CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE (as of June '09)

JANUARY 2010

Now that the first floor slab is complete, shoring and decking are being installed to support placement of the second floor concrete slab. In the background, formwork has been constructed so that the concrete shear walls can be poured.

MID-NOVEMBER 2009


On Saturday, November 14, beginning at 1:30 a.m. in rain and ending about twelve hours later, concrete was poured to form the mat foundation of Lenfest Hall. A total of 1350 cubic yards of concrete was poured (nine cubic yards per truck; 150 trucks). There were two pumps on the site, each of which could accommodate two trucks at a time. See more photos.

[top]

NOVEMBER 2009


The first section of the tower mast is embedded into a concrete foundation on the south side of the construction site. The crane erection began on Friday night, November 6 and finished on Sunday, November 8. The tower portion of the crane rises 172’; the cab and boom assembly add another 49’, for a total height of 221’. The crane will be used to pick steel and other construction items from delivery trucks as the construction proceeds. See more photos.

[top]

OCTOBER 2009


Steel buttresses are now in place to brace the party walls of the adjoining buildings. The network of rebar in the foreground of the photo is where equipment for one of the elevators will be housed.

[top]

SEPTEMBER 2009

Bulk excavation has begun on the site, and each day the hole in the ground grows deeper. It is amazing how many earth-moving machines can fit in one small, tight, urban construction site. Pedestrians stop to watch the intricate dance of the construction vehicles as they maneuver around one another below street level.

[top]

AUGUST 2009

Demolition of the Locust Club and the buildings behind the historic façades of the 1610 and 1618 townhouses is complete (shown above, looking across the 1600 block toward Locust Street and St. Mark's Church). The next phase of the project includes underpinning, shoring, bulk excavation, and soil retention. That work will proceed through October.

[top]

JULY 2009


Here we see the process by which dust is managed throughout the demolition process. First, a fire hose douses the entire site with water. Then a continuous spray is directed at the shear machine (lower left) that snaps apart the structure piece by piece. This is the only phase of the project where the project team hopes for rain!

[top]

JUNE 2009

A view from above shows the top of steel towers that support the party-wall and historic façade at 1610 Locust Street. Bulk demolition--a major milestone in the project--commenced in early June. Piece by piece, heavy machinery removes the interiors of the two historic properties and levels the old Locust Club during an eight-week process. 

[top]

MAY 2009

The construction of three steel towers to brace the party-walls and stabilize the historic facades at 1610 and 1618 Locust Street concluded in May. With permits to commence bulk demolition secure, the project is ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, the project team puts the finishing touches on the design documents, making aesthetic decisions on furniture, fixtures, and equipment. 

[top]

APRIL 2009

The Honorable Dwight Evans, Gerry Lenfest, Marguerite Lenfest, and Roberto Díaz ceremonially break ground for Lenfest Hall, 1610-1618 Locust Street, on April 27, 2009.

[top]

MARCH 2009

In March the main activity at the site included bracing the party-walls and stabilizing the historic façades at 1610 and 1618 Locust Street.   Underpinning was installed at these two locations while the necessary steel was fabricated and delivered. The doors and windows were removed and wood blocking was built to support the framework.  Above: A team of contractors is lifts a steel beam into place during the construction of massive support towers which will become more visible from the street during bulk demolition.

[top]