Take a look to your left for a striking, modernist building with smooth, sweeping curves and pale, buff-colored walls rising beside a reflecting pool-that’s the Kleinhans Music Hall.
Now, imagine Symphony Circle back in the late 1930s: traffic noises a little quieter, the air buzzing with anticipation as Buffalo prepared to welcome a true masterpiece of music and design. That round, graceful shape you see before you was inspired by the hull of a ship-appropriate, don't you think, for a city on the shores of Lake Erie? The father-and-son team of Eliel and Eero Saarinen-design geniuses-joined forces with some local Buffalonian talent to create this extraordinary hall. They skipped over heavy ornamentation and bold colors, opting instead for simplicity, clean lines, and a perfect acoustic design-after all, you wouldn’t want the violin’s whisper to get lost in a muddle, would you?
Step a bit closer-do you hear a phantom orchestra warming up inside? Since 1940, this has been the home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, where famed musicians and famous figures alike have taken the stage. The main auditorium, with its parabolic ceiling, was shaped with such acuity that if you were to drop a pin on stage, even the folks way in the back of the balcony could jump at the sound. That’s thanks to acoustical advisor Charles Potwin, who apparently believed every listener, from prince to pauper in row Z, deserved a perfect symphony.
But this building isn’t just grand for music. In 1964, crowds shuffled through these doors to see Robert F. Kennedy, and in 1967, after Buffalo’s summer of tumult and tension, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired hope on this very stage with his speech “The Future of Integration.” Imagine the weight of those words echoing through the hall-the power of music and history intertwining in a space designed to amplify every note, every syllable.
All of this became reality because Edward Kleinhans, of a wildly successful men’s clothing family, wanted to honor his wife and his mother in a way that would create joy for generations. With his family’s entire estate-and a boost from FDR’s Public Works Administration-the hall became a gift to Buffalo, opening in 1940 with a triumphant inaugural concert.
Whether you catch a world-class symphony, a children’s violin recital, or just your own reflection in the pool, Kleinhans stands as a monument to vision, generosity, and the beautiful sound of a community coming together. And let’s be honest, there’s not a bad seat-or a bad beat-in the house!
