February 26, 1885 

The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at 240 S. Broad Street between Locust and Manning Streets in the Avenue of the Arts area of Center City, Philadelphia It was built in 1855-57 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose. Known as the "Grand Old Lady of Locust Street," the venue is the home of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. It was also home to the Philadelphia Orchestra from its inception in 1900 until 2001, when the orchestra moved to the new Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Philadelphia Orchestra still retains ownership of the Academy. 

The hall was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Music_%28Philadelphia%29 

"AcademyOfMusic1870" by Robert Newell - wikipedia in english. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AcademyOfMusic1870.jpg#/media/File:AcademyOfMusic1870.jpg