PA Academy of Music
The PA Academy of Music is a great addition to downtown Lancaster. The building’s design blends in beautifully with the current mix of historic and modern buildings already located in Lancaster. Its location next to the historic Fulton Opera House on Prince Street adds to the flourishing arts community that is beginning to make Lancaster an arts destination. Smucker Company is proud to have been a part of the construction of this architecture wonder.
The building’s centerpiece is the 364 seat recital hall that was designed to meet the high acoustical standards of the world renowned Dr. Cyril Harris. The plaster work that was installed by Smucker Company on the walls and ceilings of the recital hall are the major design ingredient for meeting these acoustical standards. The plaster construction consists of metal stud framing, 2 layers of 5/8” cement board, metal lath and a 3-coat plaster system. All the steps to the plaster application were done with a design that was a maze of angles, soffits and surfaces…all designed to be able to hear a pin drop onstage without the help of audio amplification.
- Client: PA Academy of Music
- Location: Lancaster, PA
- Project Type: Theaters
- Contractor: Benchmark Construction
Dr. Harris commented after hearing a concert in the recital hall that this was the best job that he had ever completed to date. Smucker Company management applauds the workers and craftsman that have accomplished this monumental task of completing the plaster work in the recital hall.
There are other areas of the building that also took a great deal of expertise by Smucker Company workers. The atrium on the top floor of the building is a large open skylight surrounded by drywall ceilings, soffits and columns. In the grand lobby and also in the 2nd floor small performance room, Smucker Company workers installed drywall ceilings that matched the curve of the recital hall. In these two areas, there are also GRG columns that are visible from the outside, therefore adding to the design from the exterior of the building.
Throughout this project, the demand for quality craftsmanship was an expectation that Smucker Company lived up to. The construction work was completed in a timely fashion and allowed the Academy to open the building in May of 2006 in time for their summer institute and other summer classes. This detailed scope was also completed on budget and without even a recordable OSHA incident.