I recently came across a fascinating article about an old concert hall, buried 40 feet below street level underneath a piano shop in Boston. In its heyday, it was surely beautiful. Acoustically, it had every advantage. (When you can craft an environment that far underground, silencing the city sounds above all but completely, it’s understandable!) And when it was built over 120 years ago, it was probably THE place to be and be seen by the Boston elite and the great musicians of the time.
Unfortunately, It’s been closed for over 70 years now. Tragedy struck in 1942 when 492 people died in a horrific fire at a nightclub in that same city. Building codes were especially stringent after that (understandably), and Steinert Hall, so far underground with so few exits and a seating capacity of 650 people, couldn’t possibly afford to renovate in order to meet those codes. It’s been silenced so long that most people don’t even know it exists. You can read more about Steinert Hall here. There’s even a short video that takes you on a tour of the place (I’ve included it at the end of this blog).
Water damage has really done a number on this once beautiful gathering place. And as the years pass, it’s only getting worse. Could it have been restored or rescued if they’d taken it on as a project early on, before the damage had gotten so staggeringly bad? Maybe. Maybe not. Hard to say. Bringing it up to building code would certainly have been an expensive restoration, either way. And it’s possible that they may yet try to do something with it.
Where did my strange mind go with this? Back to that old chestnut of not putting off for tomorrow, what you could do today. The longer you leave something, the harder it is to fix. At this point, Steinert Hall may be a lost cause. But who knows? Maybe it didn’t have to be that way.
What are YOU putting off? Do you want to change your career but it’s easier to just stay where you are without worrying about having to upgrade your skills so you can take the leap? Do you want to finally start exercising more? Eating healthier? Do you want to learn how to play the guitar or piano or take singing lessons and just haven’t found the time? Do you want to travel more? Here’s the thing. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. We as humans, naturally get complacent. We’re hard wired to seek safety. But it’s in pushing past safety that true growth happens.
As interesting as it is, watching the video about this once magical music hall just made me sad for all its lost potential. Don’t let the magic in your own life be lost by putting off the things that could inspire you to grow. Do them now. Before it’s too late.