The Academy of Music Theatre is located in and owned by the City of Northampton, Massachusetts, which received the deed in 1892 from former owner and builder Edward H. R. Lyman. It opened in 1891 and was the first municipally owned theater in the United States. The Renaissance Revival style Academy of Music was designed by Hartford, Connecticut, architect William C. Brocklesby.
The Academy of Music, Inc., is the operating entity for the building, and it is an independent, private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization governed by a Board of Trustees. The Northampton Mayor and Smith College President serve on the board, as was Lyman’s wish. The other board members are volunteers who have an interest in the performing arts, in the continued vitality of the City of Northampton, or who have special expertise related to the Academy’s operations.
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