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>> THE AUSTIN TOWN HALL FIELD

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HOUSE IS A PIECE OF MUNICIPAL

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ARCHITECTURE BUT IS IT ALL JUST

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A FACADE?

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GEOFFREY BAER IS HERE TO RIP THE

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COVER OFF OF THAT AND OTHER

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VIEWER QUESTIONS IN TONIGHT'S

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"ASK GEOFFREY".

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GOOD TO SEE YOU.

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LET'S GET TO A MUSICAL

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QUESTION...

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>> HOW ABOUT THAT?

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AS YOU CAN HEAR IT IS NOT A

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QUESTION.

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IT IS A STATEMENT.

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BUT WE ARE GLAD OUR VIEWER WROTE

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WITH WITH THAT BECAUSE

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ANTOINETTE RICH WAS A

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FASCINATING PERSON.

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WHEN SHE WAS 30 SHE INDEED

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FORMED A 12-PIANO SYMPHONY

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ORCHESTRA IN CHICAGO.

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>> WHAT IS A PIANO SYMPHONY?

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>> IT IS AN ENSEMBLE MADE UP OF

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PIANOS ARRANGED TO EVOKE THE

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SOUND OF INSTRUMENTS.

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ALL THE MUSICIANS WERE YOUNG

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WOMEN FROM AGES 18-30.

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RICH CLAIMED IT WAS THE ONLY ALL

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WOMEN ORGANIZATION OF ITS KIND

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IN THE WORLD.

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>> IMAGINING WHAT THAT MIGHT

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HAVE SOUNDED LIKE?

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>> SO WAS I.

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LET'S COMPARE WHAT A REGULAR

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ORCHESTRA SOUNDS LIKE WITH A

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PIANO ORCHESTRA.

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FIRST WE HAVE A CLIP OF THE

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CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA...

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[♪♪♪]

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>> THAT WAS THE CSO.

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>> POWERFUL.

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>> AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY

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RECORDINGS OF MS.  RICH'S

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ORCHESTRA BUT WE FOUND THE

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MOVEMENT AT THE MUSIC LIBRARY

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PLAYED BY A FAMILY OF PIANISTS

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THE FIVE BROWNS, WHICH IS

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SIMILAR KIND OF PIANO ORCHESTRA.

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[♪♪♪]

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>> SO THAT WAS JUST FIVE PIANOS.

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IMAGINE MS.  RICH'S ORCHESTRA 12

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PIANOS.

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SHE HAD SOLOISTS ON TWO GRAND

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PIANOS TWO MORE ON THREE UP

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RIGHT PIANOS, AND TWO GIRLS EACH

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ON SEVEN MORE UP RIGHT PIANOS.

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AND ON STAGE THE PIANOS WERE

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ARRANGED ON TIERED RISERS WITH

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ANTOINETTE RICH CONDUCTING UP AT

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THE TOP.

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THEY WERE ARRANGED SO THAT THE

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PIANISTS HANDS WERE VISIBLE TO

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THE AUDIENCE.

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ALL OF THE WOMEN WORE LONG WHITE

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GOWNS AND LIGHTING EFFECTS WERE

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USED TO COLOR SELECTIONS.

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RICH AND THE ORCHESTRA PERFORMED

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THROUGHOUT THE 40s INCLUDING

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THIS PERFORMANCE PICTURED HERE.

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THEY WERE PERFORMING WITH A

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CHORUS AND A HARP IN A CONCERT

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CELEBRATING THE BA HIGH FAITH

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BA'HAI FAITH AND THEY TRAVELED

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AND PERFORMED IN FESTIVALS.

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>> WHAT ELSE DO WE KNOW ABOUT

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ANTOINETTE RICH?

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>> SHE WAS BORN ON THE WEST SIDE

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OF CHICAGO AND BECAME INTERESTED

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IN PIANO SYMPHONIES DURING THREE

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YEARS SHE SPENT IN PHILADELPHIA

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WORKS AS AN ACTRESS AND A MODEL.

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WHILE SHE WAS THERE SHE HELPED

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THE AUSTRALIAN PIANIST

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CARLNIZELY TO ORGANIZE A

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SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BUT IT WAS

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NOT EXCLUSIVELY FEMALE.

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AND HE FORMED HIS OWN ALL WOMEN

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PIANO SYMPHONY WHICH YOU MIGHT

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CEMENT HE CLAIMED WAS THE ONLY

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ONE IN THE WORLD.

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>> AND SO WHAT HAPPENED TO HER

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ANTOINETTE RICH?

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>> WE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING

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ABOUT HER OR HER PIANO SYMPHONY

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AFTER 1949.

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SO IF ANY OF OUR VIEWERS KNOW

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ANYTHING ABOUT HER LET US KNOW.

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THE VIEWER WHO MENTIONED HER TO

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US, SAID SHE WAS DIVORCED AND

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MOVED TO LAS VEGAS AREA BUT WE

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COULD FIND NO EVIDENCE OF HER

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STARTING A SIMILAR ORGANIZATION

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THERE.

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>> WHAT AN INTERESTING GROUP.

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>> BEFORE AUSTIN WAS A CHICAGO

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NEIGHBORHOOD IT WAS INDEED A

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PROSPEROUS TOWN BUT THIS

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BUILDING WHICH IS LABELED TOWN

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HALL WAS BUILT AFTER AUSTIN WAS

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ANNEXED TO CHICAGO.

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IT NEVER SERVED AS A TOWN HALL.

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HISTORY OF AUSTIN WAS DEVELOPED

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AND MODESTLY NAMED IN 1865 BY

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HENRY AUSTIN WHO WAS A CIVIC

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LEADER IN NEARBY OAK PARK.

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AUSTIN WAS A FANATIC ABOUT

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TESTIMONY PRESENCE THAT WHEN OAK

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PARK WAS VOTED DRY HE

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BOUGHT UP THE LAST TAVERN IN

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TOWN AND POURED OUT OUGHT THE

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LIQUOR INTO THE STREET.

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AND HE ENVISIONED AUSTIN AS A

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SETTLEMENT WITH GRACIOUS HOMES

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AND PARKS.

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AUSTIN BECAME THE SEAT OF CICERO

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TOWNSHIP AND A TOWNSHIP HALL WAS

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BUILT IN 1870 ON THE SITE OF THE

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LATER BUILDING THAT OUR VIEWER

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ASKED ABOUT.

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AUSTIN GOT INTO A RIVALRY WITH

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OAK PARK OVER EXTENDING THE L

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AND AUSTIN WANTED IT AND OAK

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PARK DIDN'T.

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AND SINCE AUSTIN WAS THE LARGEST

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COMMUNITY IN THE TOWNSHIP IT

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USED ITS CLOUT AND IT WON THE

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BATTLE.

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AND OAK PARK AND OTHER CICERO

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TOWNSHIP COMMUNITIES GOT THEIR

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REVENGE.

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THEY VOTED AUSTIN OUT OF THE

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TOWNSHIP OFF THE ISLAND.

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ANNEXING IT TO CHICAGO.

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BY 1920, AUSTIN WAS A THRIVING

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NEIGHBORHOOD OF UPWARDLY MOBILE

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IMMIGRANTS FROM GERMANY,

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SCANDINAVIA, IRELAND AND ITALY.

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THE OLD TOWN HALL WAS TORN DOWN

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AND REPLACED BY THE BUILDING

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THAT OUR VIEWER NOTICED AND IT

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IS A PARK DISTRICT FIELD HOUSE.

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SO THE NAME AUSTIN TOWN HALL

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REFERS TO THE PARK THAT

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SURROUNDS IT CALLED AUSTIN TOWN

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HALL PARK.

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AND YES, IT DOES LOOK LIKE

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PHILADELPHIA'S INDEPENDENCE

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HALL.

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THE ARCHITECTS WERE INSPIRED BY

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THAT BUILDING.

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AS AUSTIN DREW MORE PEOPLE MANY

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EARLY VICTORIAN HOMES WERE

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REPLACED WITH BRICK TWO FLATS

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AND BUNGALOWS.

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AND MY MOM GREW UP IN AUSTIN

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DURING THE DEPRESSION HER FAMILY

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MOVED THERE.

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THEY LIVED IN AN APARTMENT ABOVE

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THEIR JEWELRY STORE ON MADISON

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STREET.

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IN THIS PICTURE YOU SEE THE

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UPSTAIRS WINDOWS HER APARTMENT

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WAS OUT OF THE FRAME ON THE LEFT

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ON THE SECOND FLOOR THERE.

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THEY WERE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE

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STATE THEATER A MOVIE PALACE

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WHICH MY MOM USED TO LOVE TO GO

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TO.

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MY GRANDPARENTS STILL LIVED IN

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AUSTIN WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS

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CHANGING FROM TO ALMOST ENTIRELY

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ALMOST AFRICAN-AMERICAN.

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MY GRANDPARENTS SAYING AFTER

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MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAS

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KILLED, THEY COULD SEE THE SMOKE

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FROM THE RIOTS AND THE FIRES

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OUTSIDE THEIR APARTMENT WINDOWS

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FOR DECADES, THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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HAS BEEN ECONOMICALLY

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DISADVANTAGED.

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AND THERE HAVE BEEN

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NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED EFFORTS THAT

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REVITALIZATION AND SOME OF THOSE

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OLD HOMES REMAIN IN THE AUSTIN

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HISTORIC DISTRICT.

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>> INTERESTING.

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GEOFFREY THANK YOU.

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>> MY PLEASURE.