Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall is a historic 900-seat Richardsonian Romanesque performance hall at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. It is home to both the

Princeton University Orchestra The Princeton University Orchestra (PUO) is the flagship symphony orchestra of Princeton University. The ensemble tours internationally and includes over 100 musicians, almost all of whom are undergraduates at the university. Every academic year, t ...

and the

Princeton Symphony Orchestra The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (locally known as the PSO) is a professional U.S. orchestra based in Princeton, New Jersey. Rossen Milanov has been music director since 2009, leading the orchestra in critically acclaimed performances. All orchest ...

History

The name of the hall honors three generations of the Alexander family, who all served as University trustees. Funding for the building was sourced from Mrs. Harriet Crocker Alexander, who donated $350,000 ($ in dollars) so its name would honor her in-laws: her husband Charles B. Alexander (Class of 1870), his father Henry M. Alexander (Class of 1840), a University trustee and member of the Committee on Commencement Arrangements, and his grandfather Reverend Dr. Archibald Alexander (the Presbyterian founder of the Princeton Theological Seminary and its first professor; honorary Princeton doctorate 1810).Princeton University - The Campus Guide Alexander Hall was designed by architect

William Appleton Potter William Appleton Potter (December 10, 1842 – February 19, 1909) was an American architect who designed numerous buildings for Princeton University, as well as municipal offices and churches. He served as a Supervising Architect of the Treasury ...

. Construction on the building was completed in 1894, and Alexander Hall held its first annual Commencement ceremony on June 13 of that year. After the Marquand Chapel caught fire, Protestant chapel services were held in the hall. Although Alexander Hall initially functioned as a space for hosting private University affairs — including commencement, faculty meetings, and popular talks — the space was renovated and expanded into a professional-class performance hall in the 1980s following a large donation from David Richardson (Class of 1966) and growing needs on campus for a proper performing space. In 1984, the auditorium within Alexander Hall was officially renamed to Richardson Auditorium. Following its renovation in the 1980s, the hall now boasts an elevator-mounted orchestra pit, sound reflectors for improved acoustics, humidity-controlled instrument storage, and a unique Tiffany Glass mosaic named "Homeric Story". Today, the hall is applauded by chamber musicians and vocalists for its superb acoustics, and the building's turrets, rusticated brownstone, and red granite-walls frequently host concerts featuring world-class ensembles and musicians, including conducting-sensation

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was ...

in 2018 and 2019. Until 2017, when construction on Princeton University's new $330 million performing-arts center was completed, the Princeton University Orchestra rehearsed in the hall thrice per week during the academic year. Following the opening of the Lewis Center Arts, the orchestra now holds its rehearsals in the 3,500 square-foot Lee Rehearsal Room (built for the ensemble) and moves to Richardson Auditorium on the week of the concert. Beyond music, the hall maintains a strong bond with the local community as a regular venue for town meetings, and it still occasionally serves as a venue for large student events, famous guest speakers, as well as for other various University affairs.

Gallery

File:Holzer, J. A., Homer Story (left detail), 1894.jpg, Detail of the left portion of the mosaic by

Jacob Adolphus Holzer Jacob Adolphus Holzer (1858–1938) was a Swiss-born designer, muralist, mosaicist, interior designer, and sculptor who was associated with both John La Farge and Augustus Saint-Gaudens before he left to direct the mosaic workshops of Louis Com ...

, which features Greek heroes preparing for war. File:Alexander Hall auditorium Princeton.jpg, Richardson auditorium during a speech by

Shirley Tilghman Shirley Marie Tilghman, (; née Caldwell; born 17 September 1946) is a Canadian scholar in molecular biology and an academic administrator. She is now a professor of molecular biology and public policy and president emerita of Princeton Universi ...

File:Alexander Hall Princeton University NewJersey USA.jpg, Detail of facade with dedication by Harriet Crocker Alexander File:Rhind sculpture at Princeton.jpg, Detail of the sculpture on the facade by

J. Massey Rhind John Massey Rhind (9 July 1860 – 1 January 1936) was a Scottish-American sculptor. Among Rhind's better known works is the marble statue of Dr. Crawford W. Long located in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington D.C. (1926). E ...

References

External links

Westminster Choir at Alexander Hall
Documentary produced by

NJTV NJ PBS (known as NJTV prior to 2021) is a public television network serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. The network is owned by the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (NJPBA), an agency of the New Jersey state government which owns t ...

Princeton University Orchestra

Princeton Symphony Orchestra
{{Princeton, New Jersey Princeton University buildings William Appleton Potter buildings Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in New Jersey Historic district contributing properties in Mercer County, New Jersey