>> THE AUSTIN TOWN HALL FIELD
HOUSE IS A PIECE OF MUNICIPAL
ARCHITECTURE BUT IS IT ALL JUST
A FACADE?
GEOFFREY BAER IS HERE TO RIP THE
COVER OFF OF THAT AND OTHER
VIEWER QUESTIONS IN TONIGHT'S
"ASK GEOFFREY".
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
LET'S GET TO A MUSICAL
QUESTION...
>> HOW ABOUT THAT?
AS YOU CAN HEAR IT IS NOT A
QUESTION.
IT IS A STATEMENT.
BUT WE ARE GLAD OUR VIEWER WROTE
WITH WITH THAT BECAUSE
ANTOINETTE RICH WAS A
FASCINATING PERSON.
WHEN SHE WAS 30 SHE INDEED
FORMED A 12-PIANO SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA IN CHICAGO.
>> WHAT IS A PIANO SYMPHONY?
>> IT IS AN ENSEMBLE MADE UP OF
PIANOS ARRANGED TO EVOKE THE
SOUND OF INSTRUMENTS.
ALL THE MUSICIANS WERE YOUNG
WOMEN FROM AGES 18-30.
RICH CLAIMED IT WAS THE ONLY ALL
WOMEN ORGANIZATION OF ITS KIND
IN THE WORLD.
>> IMAGINING WHAT THAT MIGHT
HAVE SOUNDED LIKE?
>> SO WAS I.
LET'S COMPARE WHAT A REGULAR
ORCHESTRA SOUNDS LIKE WITH A
PIANO ORCHESTRA.
FIRST WE HAVE A CLIP OF THE
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA...
[♪♪♪]
>> THAT WAS THE CSO.
>> POWERFUL.
>> AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY
RECORDINGS OF MS. RICH'S
ORCHESTRA BUT WE FOUND THE
MOVEMENT AT THE MUSIC LIBRARY
PLAYED BY A FAMILY OF PIANISTS
THE FIVE BROWNS, WHICH IS
SIMILAR KIND OF PIANO ORCHESTRA.
[♪♪♪]
>> SO THAT WAS JUST FIVE PIANOS.
IMAGINE MS. RICH'S ORCHESTRA 12
PIANOS.
SHE HAD SOLOISTS ON TWO GRAND
PIANOS TWO MORE ON THREE UP
RIGHT PIANOS, AND TWO GIRLS EACH
ON SEVEN MORE UP RIGHT PIANOS.
AND ON STAGE THE PIANOS WERE
ARRANGED ON TIERED RISERS WITH
ANTOINETTE RICH CONDUCTING UP AT
THE TOP.
THEY WERE ARRANGED SO THAT THE
PIANISTS HANDS WERE VISIBLE TO
THE AUDIENCE.
ALL OF THE WOMEN WORE LONG WHITE
GOWNS AND LIGHTING EFFECTS WERE
USED TO COLOR SELECTIONS.
RICH AND THE ORCHESTRA PERFORMED
THROUGHOUT THE 40s INCLUDING
THIS PERFORMANCE PICTURED HERE.
THEY WERE PERFORMING WITH A
CHORUS AND A HARP IN A CONCERT
CELEBRATING THE BA HIGH FAITH
BA'HAI FAITH AND THEY TRAVELED
AND PERFORMED IN FESTIVALS.
>> WHAT ELSE DO WE KNOW ABOUT
ANTOINETTE RICH?
>> SHE WAS BORN ON THE WEST SIDE
OF CHICAGO AND BECAME INTERESTED
IN PIANO SYMPHONIES DURING THREE
YEARS SHE SPENT IN PHILADELPHIA
WORKS AS AN ACTRESS AND A MODEL.
WHILE SHE WAS THERE SHE HELPED
THE AUSTRALIAN PIANIST
CARLNIZELY TO ORGANIZE A
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BUT IT WAS
NOT EXCLUSIVELY FEMALE.
AND HE FORMED HIS OWN ALL WOMEN
PIANO SYMPHONY WHICH YOU MIGHT
CEMENT HE CLAIMED WAS THE ONLY
ONE IN THE WORLD.
>> AND SO WHAT HAPPENED TO HER
ANTOINETTE RICH?
>> WE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING
ABOUT HER OR HER PIANO SYMPHONY
AFTER 1949.
SO IF ANY OF OUR VIEWERS KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT HER LET US KNOW.
THE VIEWER WHO MENTIONED HER TO
US, SAID SHE WAS DIVORCED AND
MOVED TO LAS VEGAS AREA BUT WE
COULD FIND NO EVIDENCE OF HER
STARTING A SIMILAR ORGANIZATION
THERE.
>> WHAT AN INTERESTING GROUP.
>> BEFORE AUSTIN WAS A CHICAGO
NEIGHBORHOOD IT WAS INDEED A
PROSPEROUS TOWN BUT THIS
BUILDING WHICH IS LABELED TOWN
HALL WAS BUILT AFTER AUSTIN WAS
ANNEXED TO CHICAGO.
IT NEVER SERVED AS A TOWN HALL.
HISTORY OF AUSTIN WAS DEVELOPED
AND MODESTLY NAMED IN 1865 BY
HENRY AUSTIN WHO WAS A CIVIC
LEADER IN NEARBY OAK PARK.
AUSTIN WAS A FANATIC ABOUT
TESTIMONY PRESENCE THAT WHEN OAK
PARK WAS VOTED DRY HE
BOUGHT UP THE LAST TAVERN IN
TOWN AND POURED OUT OUGHT THE
LIQUOR INTO THE STREET.
AND HE ENVISIONED AUSTIN AS A
SETTLEMENT WITH GRACIOUS HOMES
AND PARKS.
AUSTIN BECAME THE SEAT OF CICERO
TOWNSHIP AND A TOWNSHIP HALL WAS
BUILT IN 1870 ON THE SITE OF THE
LATER BUILDING THAT OUR VIEWER
ASKED ABOUT.
AUSTIN GOT INTO A RIVALRY WITH
OAK PARK OVER EXTENDING THE L
AND AUSTIN WANTED IT AND OAK
PARK DIDN'T.
AND SINCE AUSTIN WAS THE LARGEST
COMMUNITY IN THE TOWNSHIP IT
USED ITS CLOUT AND IT WON THE
BATTLE.
AND OAK PARK AND OTHER CICERO
TOWNSHIP COMMUNITIES GOT THEIR
REVENGE.
THEY VOTED AUSTIN OUT OF THE
TOWNSHIP OFF THE ISLAND.
ANNEXING IT TO CHICAGO.
BY 1920, AUSTIN WAS A THRIVING
NEIGHBORHOOD OF UPWARDLY MOBILE
IMMIGRANTS FROM GERMANY,
SCANDINAVIA, IRELAND AND ITALY.
THE OLD TOWN HALL WAS TORN DOWN
AND REPLACED BY THE BUILDING
THAT OUR VIEWER NOTICED AND IT
IS A PARK DISTRICT FIELD HOUSE.
SO THE NAME AUSTIN TOWN HALL
REFERS TO THE PARK THAT
SURROUNDS IT CALLED AUSTIN TOWN
HALL PARK.
AND YES, IT DOES LOOK LIKE
PHILADELPHIA'S INDEPENDENCE
HALL.
THE ARCHITECTS WERE INSPIRED BY
THAT BUILDING.
AS AUSTIN DREW MORE PEOPLE MANY
EARLY VICTORIAN HOMES WERE
REPLACED WITH BRICK TWO FLATS
AND BUNGALOWS.
AND MY MOM GREW UP IN AUSTIN
DURING THE DEPRESSION HER FAMILY
MOVED THERE.
THEY LIVED IN AN APARTMENT ABOVE
THEIR JEWELRY STORE ON MADISON
STREET.
IN THIS PICTURE YOU SEE THE
UPSTAIRS WINDOWS HER APARTMENT
WAS OUT OF THE FRAME ON THE LEFT
ON THE SECOND FLOOR THERE.
THEY WERE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE
STATE THEATER A MOVIE PALACE
WHICH MY MOM USED TO LOVE TO GO
TO.
MY GRANDPARENTS STILL LIVED IN
AUSTIN WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS
CHANGING FROM TO ALMOST ENTIRELY
ALMOST AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
MY GRANDPARENTS SAYING AFTER
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAS
KILLED, THEY COULD SEE THE SMOKE
FROM THE RIOTS AND THE FIRES
OUTSIDE THEIR APARTMENT WINDOWS
FOR DECADES, THE NEIGHBORHOOD
HAS BEEN ECONOMICALLY
DISADVANTAGED.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN
NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED EFFORTS THAT
REVITALIZATION AND SOME OF THOSE
OLD HOMES REMAIN IN THE AUSTIN
HISTORIC DISTRICT.
>> INTERESTING.
GEOFFREY THANK YOU.
>> MY PLEASURE.