Forum Building (1931), Harrisburg
Where Art Deco meets civic ceremony: the 1931 Forum Building anchors the southern edge of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex and has served as the home of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra for most of its modern history.
At a glance
The Forum Building stands at the southern boundary of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, its Art Deco facade offering a studied counterpoint to Joseph Huston’s Italian Renaissance Capitol dome visible from North Front Street. Completed in 1931 as part of a sustained state investment in public infrastructure, the building now operates as the Forum Theater, one of the few government-owned concert halls in the United States that presents regular performances by a standing symphony orchestra. Its position at the intersection of state power and public culture — between the Susquehanna River and the Capitol’s legislative chambers — gives the Forum Building a civic weight that few performing-arts venues in American government complexes can match.
Key facts
- Address: 5 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
- Built: 1931
- Style: Art Deco
- Part of: Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex
- Current use: Forum Theater — concert hall and public auditorium
- Primary tenant: Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
- County: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (state capital)
- Coordinates: 40.2625° N, -76.8826° W (Google Maps)
History
Pennsylvania’s State Capitol Complex grew over several decades in a process of planned expansion that reflected the ambitions of successive gubernatorial administrations. Joseph Huston’s Renaissance Revival Capitol dome, completed in 1906, set an architectural standard that subsequent state buildings were expected to complement — though not replicate. By the late 1920s, the complex required an additional public auditorium capable of hosting large civic gatherings, legislative conferences, and cultural events. The Forum Building was commissioned to fill that need.
Construction proceeded during the early years of the Gifford Pinchot administration (1931–1935), a period of significant tension between the state’s Progressive-era commitment to public works and the fiscal constraints imposed by the Depression. The building opened in 1931 in the Art Deco style that had become the favored idiom for civic architecture in the United States during that decade — a style that conveyed modernity and institutional authority without the expense of full classical ornament.
The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1930, found its permanent home in the Forum not long after the building opened, a relationship that has continued with only brief interruptions for renovations. The connection between orchestra and hall has shaped both institutions: the Symphony’s programming reflects the acoustics and capacity of the Forum, and the Forum’s reputation as a concert venue rests substantially on the continuity of the orchestra’s presence there.
What you see
The Forum Building’s principal elevation presents a restrained Art Deco composition in Indiana limestone — the same material used across much of the Capitol Complex to achieve visual unity among buildings of different stylistic periods. Vertical piers flank the main entrance, their clean lines establishing the geometric vocabulary that runs through the facade’s frieze panels and window surrounds. The ornament is understated by the standards of the Zigzag Moderne phase that dominated commercial Art Deco of the late 1920s; this is civic Art Deco, aimed at projecting permanence rather than spectacle.
Inside, the concert hall occupies a traditional shoebox plan — the acoustic geometry most associated with the great European concert halls of the 19th century, adapted here to a mid-size American auditorium of the New Deal era. The hall seats approximately 1,800 and achieves the warm reverberation time that string-heavy symphonic repertoire requires. The restoration work of recent decades has preserved the original plaster coffering and the visual language of the 1931 interior while integrating modern lighting and acoustic systems.
Practical information
- Programming: Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra subscription series, guest concerts, public events, and Pennsylvania State government ceremonies. Check the Forum Theater and HSO websites for current schedules.
- Tickets: Available through the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra box office and online ticketing platforms.
- Season: Symphony season runs September through May; the hall hosts additional events year-round.
- Guided tours: The Capitol Complex offers guided tours of the adjacent Pennsylvania State Capitol; the Forum is accessible as part of the complex.
- Parking: State Capitol Complex parking garages on Third Street; metered street parking on Front Street and surrounding blocks.
Getting there
Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), located in Middletown approximately 8 miles southeast of downtown, operates connecting flights to major eastern hubs. Harrisburg station is one of Amtrak’s best-served smaller-city stops: the Keystone Service runs multiple daily trains between New York Penn Station and Harrisburg (journey time approximately 3 hours), and the Pennsylvanian provides a once-daily connection to Pittsburgh. By road, Interstate 81, Interstate 76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike), and Interstate 83 all converge in the Harrisburg metropolitan area; take the Front Street exit from I-83 for direct access to the Capitol Complex riverfront.
Nearby
- Pennsylvania State Capitol (1906) — Joseph Huston’s Italian Renaissance Revival dome, directly adjacent, with the largest interior rotunda in any US state capitol. Free public tours daily.
- State Museum of Pennsylvania — natural history, archaeology, and fine arts collections including a substantial Pennsylvania Dutch decorative arts section, one block from the Forum Building.
- National Civil War Museum — approximately 2 miles northeast in Reservoir Park, one of the most comprehensive Civil War collections in the eastern United States.
- Gettysburg National Military Park — approximately 35 miles southwest via US-15, the site of the July 1863 battle and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Sources
- Pennsylvania State Capitol Preservation Committee — Capitol Complex architectural history documentation.
- Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra — historical programming records and venue documentation.
- Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission — Forum Building historic designation records.
- Wikimedia Commons — Forum Building, Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, Harrisburg, PA.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.0 (w_lemay).
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online
Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.
Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto