Reichshallentheater

The Reichshallentheater stood in central Berlin on Leipziger Straße, built in 1872 as a concert hall with over 1,000 seats. Its richly decorated interior followed Renaissance church design, with a three-aisled hall, vaulted side aisles and two large chandeliers. A steam engine from Stuttgart powered the building’s lighting and ventilation. The hall opened on Christmas Day 1873 under conductor Julius Stern, though the first performance was briefly interrupted when a piece of wallpaper caught fire from a gas flame. From 1883 the Stettiner Sänger, founded in Stettin in 1879, performed regularly here and by 1898 had their own permanent home. Directors included Alexander Genée from 1921 and Ferdinand Meisel from 1930 to 1933. The theatre also served as a polling station during the 1880 Prussian election under the three-class voting system. A water test in the same year described the supply as similar to Spree water with traces of sand and iron. Visitors entered through a glazed courtyard and garden behind the street-front Becker house. The ground floor housed a restaurant, while the first floor contained the concert hall with parterre stalls, side balconies and private boxes. The stage featured an orchestra podium and a large organ. After 1933 the building stood empty, was adapted for exhibitions in 1937 and finally demolished in the mid-1960s.