Built 1908 Opened 1908 Architectural style Beaux-Arts architecture Architect Clement Barnhorn | NRHP Reference # 78002076 Area 4,000 m² Added to NRHP 4 December 1978 | |
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Location Elm and Grant Sts., Cincinnati, Ohio Similar American Classical Music Hal, Cincinnati Music Hall, Emery Theatre, Washington Park, Harriet Beecher Stowe Ho | ||
The Hamilton County Memorial Building, more commonly called Memorial Hall, is located at Elm & Grant Streets, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The building is next to Cincinnati's Music Hall and across from Washington Park in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. It was built by the Grand Army of the Republic and Hamilton County in 1908, as a memorial to the military of the city and county. The building was built in the Beaux-Arts style. The auditorium is still used for many functions. It is home to the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Constructed according to a design by Samuel Hannaford and Sons, the Memorial Building was intended to commemorate members of all branches of the U.S. armed services, as well as the pioneers who had established the United States. The hall contains a 557-seat theater that was designed for speaking, but is also used as a musical venue. It is the longtime home of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. The theater's small size produces a sense of intimacy among the audience, and its acoustics are exceptional: words spoken on stage in a normal voice can easily be understood even at the back of the balcony.
In late 1978, the Memorial Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying for inclusion both because of its architecture and because of its place in the area's history. Its location on Washington Park places it in the historic district that embraces most of Over-the-Rhine, which was added to the Register five years after the Memorial Building was individually added.