Metamorphosis in Symphony Hall: The Removable Raked Flooring

When Symphony Hall was built in 1900, the Pops and Symphony seasons were well-established traditions. To accommodate the very different performance forms, the architects designed the auditorium with a configuration featuring banked rows of seating for the winter season of Symphony concerts and a flat floor for the Pops seasons. The latter provided a cabaret seating, with chairs ringed around tables. One unique aspect of the hall is that it is acoustically superior for both traditional classical concerts and the more lively Pops. While many halls have been retrofitted to duplicate the Boston Pops ambience—with tables and chairs—Symphony Hall was the first specifically planned for dual formats. 

To this day, the conversion is accomplished by an ingenious system of risers that can be removed or replaced—moving in and out of the basement of Symphony Hall through a large elevator, hidden in the middle of the auditorium.  Comprising 51 loads of about 247 pieces of rake and aisle, the flooring takes approximately 40 people (including 30 staff hired externally) about 8 hours to remove it, and another 14 hours to replace it.