Orchestra Hall's sterling record for near-perfect acoustics hasn't changed a note since the hall opened on Oct. 23, 1919. While the hall itself has remained the same over the years, virtually everything around it - and even under it - has been made new and improved.

Saved from a date with the wrecking ball by a group of preservationists in 1970, Orchestra Hall has since gone through a series of projects to renovate and expand the building housing the hall. It was finally reopened to Detroit Symphony Orchestra concerts in 1989, but the most extensive project yet is now wrapping up under construction manager George W. Auch, as the building trades get the hall ready for opening night on Oct. 10. That night, the orchestra will play a free "Hardhat Concert" for the men and women who have been doing the work, compliments of Auch.

"There have been a lot of hours and a lot of hard work to get us to where we're at," said George W. Auch Project Manager David Williams. "When you look at the fit and finish of this building, the tradespeople who have worked here can take pride in what they've done. What they've done is just beautiful."

Construction work that went on inside the 2,042-seat performance hall was taken on by the building trades in two separate 18-week periods during the orchestra's non-performing season in the summers of 2002 and 2003. As we pointed out when we visited the project last year, for the performance hall itself, the major problem was ventilation - three large floor registers heated and cooled the entire hall. The system was too noisy to operate while the orchestra was playing, so it was turned off just before show time. This could result in some discomfort for patrons, especially during a warm night.

Installation of the new ventilation system required the break-up of the concrete floor beneath the seats, and the placement of extensive ductwork and scores of diffusers. With the new ventilation system and some new historically appropriate seats, Orchestra Hall will sound good, and feel good, too. But putting the concert hall back together and retaining its great acoustical qualities has been the trickiest part of the project, said Auch Project Supt. Frank Schmidt.

"The floor is bowl-shaped, it's not flat, so the layout was the key," he said. Surveying equipment was used to measure the elevation of the floor and pinpoint the placement of the original seats. "Things went back together fine last year, and I'm sure we'll do it right again this year," Schmidt said.

Other work that has gone on continuously over the last 18 months has tripled the size of the complex and is part of the $60 million Max M. Fisher Music Center. Referred to as "The Max," the project includes a new, adjacent 135,000-square-foot facility that includes a 500-seat performance hall for a variety of music known as the Music Box, and a 15,000-square-foot education center, which will support the orchestra's youth ensembles and other educational activities.

Musicians will also get new dressing rooms, space for instruments and equipment storage, and two floors of administrative space will be added. Also added will be 17,000 square feet of lobby space, featuring a soaring four-story atrium, centrally located to service the two performance spaces.

The opening of The Max marks the completion of Phase II of the three-phase Orchestra Place Development Project launched in 1996. Phase III, scheduled for completion in 2005, is the Detroit High School for the Fine, Performing & Communication Arts situated next to The Max.

It is a new $122.5 million public high school and broadcast technology complex that is part of a unique partnership between the DSO, the Detroit Public Schools System and Detroit Public Television. The school features a state-of-the-art digital telecommunications center with production studios, and broadcast studios.

"In its entirety, the Orchestra Place Development Project represents a nearly $220 million investment in Downtown Detroit," said Peter D. Cummings, DSO Chairman of the Board. "The DSO is quickly becoming recognized as a shining example among cultural institutions on how to champion creatively the redevelopment of an urban neighborhood. With the opening of the Max M. Fisher Music Center, the DSO and our community will now have the world-class facilities worthy of our long cultural legacy."

ON STAGE at Orchestra Hall: Ron Kopack (l) and Sam Ellison of IBEW Local 58 and J & T Electric.

NEW FLOOR ventilation will make Orchestra Hall patrons more comfortable. (DSO photo)