The 1927 Rapp & Rapp-designed former Loew's Penn Theater in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, restored in 1971 as the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra — and the source of a quiet conductor's-ghost legend.
600 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra tickets typically $30-150 depending on program and seating. Self-guided lobby visits free on performance days during box-office hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Fully accessible historic theater; elevators to all levels
Equipment
No Photos
Est. 1927 · Rapp & Rapp movie palace architecture · Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra home (since 1971) · Heinz family philanthropic preservation · Cultural District anchor
Loew's Penn Theater was built in 1927 on the site of the former Anderson Hotel in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh. Motion-picture magnate Marcus Loew commissioned the Chicago firm of Rapp & Rapp — the era's preeminent designers of movie palaces — to produce what local press would call the 'Temple of the Cinema.' The 3,800-seat theater opened September 6, 1927 with a Grand Lobby featuring a 50-foot vaulted Venetian ceiling supported by massive ornamental columns, bronze and crystal chandeliers, and imported silk damask draperies.
The theater operated as a Loew's-circuit movie palace for decades. With the rise of television and suburban multiplexes, attendance collapsed. The Penn closed in 1964 and sat vacant for five years; demolition for a parking lot was actively under consideration when the Pittsburgh Symphony Society intervened.
Funded by a major gift from the Howard Heinz Endowment, the Symphony Society purchased the building and undertook an extensive restoration and acoustic redesign. Heinz Hall opened as the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on September 10, 1971. The restoration reduced the seat count to approximately 2,676 and rebuilt the orchestra pit and stage for symphonic use while preserving the Grand Lobby and auditorium ornament.
Heinz Hall has hosted the PSO continuously since 1971 and also stages touring Broadway, dance, and special-event programming. It is operated today by the Pittsburgh Symphony in partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The hall is a key piece of the Cultural District's revival, sitting two blocks from the Byham Theater and across Penn Avenue from the Benedum Center.
Sources
According to the Pittsburgh Beautiful 'Ghosts of Pittsburgh's Theaters' feature, staff and overnight crews at Heinz Hall have on occasion reported a figure on or near the conductor's podium, baton raised as if leading an orchestra that is no longer present. The Beethoven-symphony detail — disembodied music heard during otherwise silent overnight hours — appears in the same source.
No named conductor is attached to the apparition in any source available to this review, and Heinz Hall has had many resident and guest conductors since opening. The Pittsburgh Symphony's official history of the building does not mention paranormal activity.
In October 2024, Whispering Souls Paranormal Investigations LLC — a Pittsburgh-area named paranormal investigation group covered by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — conducted a publicly ticketed ghost-hunting event at Heinz Hall (600 Penn Avenue) with access to private areas including Mr. Heinz's Private Dining Room and the unfinished concert hall. The group operates across Pennsylvania and has been featured in regional news. The ghost hunt constitutes a documented independent investigation of the venue's paranormal reputation.
Notable Entities
Attending a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert is the primary public access to Heinz Hall's interior. The Grand Lobby with its 50-foot vaulted Venetian ceiling, the bronze and crystal chandeliers, and the 2,676-seat auditorium are visible during and around performances. Free public tours of the building are offered intermittently by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Joliet, IL
The Rialto Square Theatre opened May 24, 1926, designed by Chicago firm Rapp & Rapp for the six Rubens brothers. Its Neo-Baroque interior — modeled in part on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles — earned it a place on the American Institute of Architects's '150 Great Places in Illinois' and a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ashland, KY
The Paramount Arts Center opened September 5, 1931 in Ashland, Kentucky as one of the first movie palaces purpose-built for sound film. Designed by Rapp and Rapp, the theater closed in 1971 and was rescued from demolition by the Greater Ashland Foundation, reopening as a performing-arts center in 1972.
St. Louis, MO
The Fabulous Fox Theatre opened in January 1929 as one of five 'Fox' picture palaces commissioned by film magnate William Fox. Designed by C. Howard Crane in a 'Siamese Byzantine' style, the 4,500-seat auditorium was the second-largest in the United States at its opening. After decades of decline the theatre closed in 1978 and was restored by the Fox Associates beginning in 1981, reopening in 1982 as the centerpiece of Grand Center.