The world’s largest LED free-hanging chandelier, designed, manufactured and installed by Yorkville, M.Y.-based Meyda Lighting, was recently lowered and inspected at the historic Stanley Center for the Arts in Utica, N.Y. At 35 feet wide, 11 feet tall and weighing over three tons, the chandelier was lowered from the 70-foot ceiling for inspection with a custom-made constant tension device for cleaning and maintenance. Hidden from view in the theater are the intricate steel trusswork infrastructure, the super heavy-duty cables, and major roof reinforcement engineered to hold this immense work of art, which can be raised and lowered for maintenance. The chandelier’s interior includes a catwalk that cannot be seen from below, but enables maintenance personnel to walk freely within the fixture.
The chandelier uses over 200 LEDs with a life span of five decades and a luminance output equivalent to 720 100W incandescent bulbs. The LEDs will not have to be replaced for 50 years at expected usage levels and have no hazardous waste byproducts, such as mercury, to dispose of. The lamps also generate a fraction of the heat generated by traditional light bulbs, reducing the theater’s air conditioning needs during summer months.
“The Stanley LED Chandelier was one of our greatest achievements,” said Max Cohen, Meyda’s director of hospitality manager. “We are proud and delighted to lower this grand piece and showcase it to the world. Of course, the public can enjoy it everyday, not just when it is lowered."
Originally built as a movie palace, The Stanley opened in the autumn of 1928 and has 2,963 seats. It was designed by the famous architect, Thomas Lamb, who is considered one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century. His creations include the Fox Theatre in San Francisco and the Capitol Theatre in New York, both which are not standing today.
The Stanley is host to shows presented by the Broadway Theatre League of Utica, Players Theater of Utica, Mohawk Valley Ballet and the Utica Symphony Orchestra, as well as several promoters. Recent acts booked include: Trace Adkins, Chicago, Martina McBride, Tony Bennett, Jerry Seinfeld, Jackson Browne, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Dave Mason, along with tech-shows for Annie, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Green Day’s American Idiot, and We Will Rock You.