1903 | NEC’s Jordan Hall opens
A year after NEC's move from its Franklin Square campus to the 290 Huntington Avenue building, built to meet the specialized needs of musical education, Jordan Hall astounds its first audiences with its beauty and superb acoustics. A gift of trustee Eben D. Jordan, 2nd, the hall serves music lovers with free concerts by NEC ensembles and soloists, in addition to functioning as a presenting venue for the world's top touring artists.
In 1995, at the close of cellist Laurence Lesser's almost 15-year presidency, a year after receiving a National Historic Landmark designation (along with NEC itself), and as the capstone of NEC’s first major fundraising campaign, the $8.2 million restoration of Jordan Hall is completed to resounding acclaim and architectural awards.