April 02, 2008 - Meyda Tiffany, a leading manufacturer of decorative lighting, has just installed the largest LED chandelier in the world at the Stanley Theater in Utica, NY. After nearly a year of planning, production was recently completed in the manufacturing facilities in Yorkville, N.Y. (outside of Utica, N.Y.).

Designed and engineered with state-of-the-art technology and green energy efficiency for a local performing arts theater, the Meyda Chandelier illuminates with 328 LEDs made by Philips Luxeon (same LEDs used for New Year’s Eve Ball-Drop in Times Square) using 1,120 total watts (equivalent of energy used for one drip coffeemaker), instead of conventional incandescent bulbs requiring 7,435 watts (energy equivalent of 17 refrigerators). In addition LEDs have a lamplife of 15 years or more, unlike incandescent bulbs that need to be replaced every two years or less.

Installation of the LED Chandelier - “We cried when we raised it,” said Bob Cohen

Made of steel, blown-glass and acrylic, the lighting fixture is 35 feet in diameter, 17 feet tall, and 7,000 pounds. It is assembled in several sections of tubular steel trusses, plus a dozen sections of other steel trusses, framework and decorative embellishments—all, which are being shipped, reassembled and installed this week.

The chandelier, hand-finished in antique gold and bronze, was designed to complement the theater’s Mexican baroque Moorish theme. Each truss includes a steel arm featuring a hand-painted Green and White, Red glass-eyed serpent spiraling down. At the tip of each arm is a bobeche (eight in all), each with a diameter of 36 inches and designed to hold seven candles, ranging up to two feet in height. The bottom of each bobeche has been designed with a Red and Blue acrylic to coordinate with the nuances of the theater’s color scheme. Sculpted steel candlesticks simulating wax drippings, feature blown-glass diffusers replicating candletip flames.

Details, Facts and Comments:
• $130,000 cost
• 50 parts
• 35 x 17 feet in diameter vs. height
• 6,500 pounds
• 328 LED lights
• 50 years until bulbs will need to be replaced.

 “It looks to me like it’s been here since 1927 when the Stanley was originally built.” said Bob Cohen, owner of Meyda Tiffany, which created the chandelier.

• The round body of the chandelier is decorated by hand-painted blue and red glass diamonds that match the other lighting fixtures in the theater.
• The lion in the chandelier’s center is based on one from the wall of the theater.
• The ornate patterns mirror those on the theater’s ceiling.  If you go
• And eight arms stretch from the center, each with a serpent modeled after those on the walls.

In fact, Meyda Tiffany was picked to create the chandelier because the local company generally uses styles and materials that resemble the Stanley’s original fixtures, Stanley Center for the Arts Executive Director Ron Thiele said.

Workers finished installing the chandelier Friday after about a week of work. They first practiced putting together the piece at Meyda Tiffany before moving the 50 parts to the Stanley. The final assembly was done on a platform built above the seats.

“It was like rehearsing for a symphony,” said Antonio Santucci, executive director of the Old Forge division of Meyda Tiffany. Santucci designed and engineered the chandelier.

The piece now is the world’s largest chandelier hanging from one ceiling fixture.

The chandelier is lit by light emitting diodes or LEDs, which means it has no light bulbs and is environmentally friendly, Cohen said.

The fixture uses a total of 1,120 watts of electricity — equivalent to 11 incandescent bulbs or a single-drip coffee maker, he said.

But it emits the same amount of light 750 100-watt bulbs would — equivalent to what’s needed to light 17 refrigerators, he said.

It also will not have to be touched for about 50 years, thanks to the LEDs’ long life expectancy, Cohen said.

The chandelier was part of a $20 million renovation project at the 80-year-old theater that also included a new marquee, an expanded stage and more dressing rooms.

The theater has been closed about a year and will reopen Thursday for the St. Petersburg Ballet’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet,” which is presented by Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute’s Great Artists Series.

Thiele said he hopes audiences think the chandelier fits right in with the building. “I love it,” he said. 

About Meyda Tiffany:
Thirty years ago, Meyda Tiffany was founded when Meyer Cohen was asked by his wife Ida (whose names were combined into the company name Meyda) to build a stained glass window in their kitchen so they wouldn't have to look at the vintage cars in their neighbor's driveway.  What began as a hobby evolved into America's leading and oldest manufacturer of Tiffany lamps and decorative lighting.

For additional information visit Meyda Tiffany.