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Interior of Hill Auditorium

The interior of Hill also bears earmarks of Sullivan's influence. (See Illustration 5) Kahn and his design team spent great effort to make Hill an acoustically superior hall for music and drama. The building has two wall layers, a solid brick exterior and hollow tile interior, between which is a hollow section, designed to insulate the interior from outside noises. Kahn and Wilby studied the few, large prototypes that exhibited fine sound qualities. Sullivan and Adler's Auditorium Building (Chicago, IL, 1886-89) (See Illustration 6), one of a handful of acoustically effective auditoriums in the country that could accommodate a very large (2,000+ person) audience, affected the detailing of Hill's repeated parabolic arches radiating out from the proscenium. Although the ornamentation was greatly simplified, Kahn and Wilby utilized this motif largely for its excellent sound-reflecting properties. The Auditorium's acoustical superiority became legendary and helped to enhance the reputation of Dankmar Adler, who oversaw its acoustical arrangements. Wilby and Kahn clearly paid homage to this Midwestern landmark.

[Credit]		[Credit]
Illustration 6. Albert Kahn's Hill Auditorium Interior		Illustration 7. Louis Sullivan's Chicago Auditorium Interior

Additionally, the influence of Kahn's other collaborator, Hugh Tallant, a renowned acoustical engineer, should be noted. Tallant had conducted extensive research on echo and reverberation within auditoria, and had worked out clear principles for the design of such spaces. His studies illustrated that long, narrow, rectangular halls and those with elliptical shapes demonstrated substandard sighting or acoustical properties. In a 1910 article published in The Brickbuilder, Tallant highlighted the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Brooklyn, NY, 1908, designed by Herts and Tallant) as a paradigm for its plan's acoustics and sight lines. The plan of this smaller 2,200 seat auditorium resembled that of Hill. (See Illustrations 8 and 9) The Brooklyn building also possessed a fan shape, with proportions markedly wider than they were deep. Each auditorium had seating areas broken into four rows and aisles that curved to mirror the bend of the last row on the main floor. Interior sections of the Brooklyn structure also bore resemblance to those at Hill. Both buildings possessed two balconies, and had similarly proportioned ceiling heights and shapes. It is likely that Tallant mentioned this successful earlier auditorium during design consultations with Kahn and Wilby.

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Illustration 8. Brooklyn Academy of Music, first floor plan		Illustration 9. Hill Auditorium, main floor plan