Entry No. 16 — the Cincinnati file — filed under: cemeteries with a story
Cincinnati Music Hall
A landmark 1878 Venetian Gothic concert hall constructed directly over a 19th-century Potter's field and mass graves from cholera outbreaks.
The story
When workers broke ground for Cincinnati Music Hall in 1876, they weren't just digging a foundation for a Victorian Gothic concert hall in Over-the-Rhine—they were shoveling straight into an 1818 Potter's field. For decades, the plot held the unidentified bodies of paupers, victims of an 1832 cholera epidemic that claimed thousands of lives, and an orphan asylum known locally as the Pest House. By the time the hall opened in 1878, its brick arches sat square on top of thousands of forgotten graves.
The dead haven't stayed underground. Workers uncovered boxes of human bones during the initial 1876 excavation, stumbled into a 65-grave pit dubbed the Valley of Death during a 1927 renovation, and hit human arm and leg bones under the orchestra pit while removing asbestos in April 2016. Every major structural overhaul over the past century has doubled as an unintended archaeological dig, with recovered remains periodically re-interred at Spring Grove Cemetery.
Staff, performers, and visiting conductors have reported unscripted encounters in the dark for generations—including late Pops director Erich Kunzel, who openly spoke of late-night spirits wandering the hall. Whether you believe the ghost lore or not, when you stand inside Corbett Tower or walk the back corridors, you are standing over two centuries of unresolved local history.
What it's like
Stepping inside means passing under massive brick arches into a carpeted foyer beneath soaring ceilings. If you book a guided historic or ghost tour through Friends of Music Hall, expect steep stairways and access to off-limits back hallways, Corbett Tower, and areas near where renovation crews hit buried grave shafts. Tickets for building tours sell out quickly, so reserve well in advance, and check the event calendar beforehand since tour access to the main auditorium is restricted on performance days.
The move: Take a guided historic building tour through Corbett Tower and the back hallways where workers frequently uncover human remains during renovations.
- 📍 Over-the-Rhine
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1241 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Ghost Baby — Descend four stories into 1850s brewery lagering tunnels for live music and drinks right down the street in Over-the-Rhine.
- Linck Brewery Underground Tunnels (American Legacy Tours) — Trade subterranean grave lore beneath Music Hall for 1850s limestone beer lagering vaults just two tenths of a mile away.
- Lloyd Library & Museum — Pair 19th-century burial grounds with rare 19th-century medical botany texts and eccentric archives a quick walk south into Downtown.
- Wiseguy Lounge (OTR) — Duck upstairs above Goodfellas Pizzeria into a low-lit 1920s speakeasy for bourbon after your tour.
Good to know
Why was Cincinnati Music Hall built over mass graves?
Before the hall was built in 1876, the land served as an 1818 Potter's field for unclaimed paupers and later hosted an orphan asylum following an 1832 cholera epidemic. The city transferred the property to the Music Hall Association with thousands of bodies still buried beneath.
Have human bones actually been found under Music Hall recently?
Yes. Skeletal remains were uncovered during initial digging in 1876, during renovations in 1927 and 1969, and as recently as April 2016, when asbestos abatement workers found human arm and leg bones beneath the orchestra pit.
How can I tour the building and its back hallways?
Friends of Music Hall and the Cincinnati Arts Association host scheduled guided indoor building tours and ghost tours that take visitors into Corbett Tower and backstage spaces closed to standard performance crowds.
Where is Music Hall located?
Music Hall is located at 1241 Elm Street in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, directly across from Washington Park.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · theguardian.com
last checked: 2026-07-21