From a very early age, Mortimer Levitt loved music. His first encounter took place at the only party he was ever given at his home when he was about 4 years old. Mortimer’s aunt played ragtime on their piano, and Mortimer was thrilled. Truly thrilled.

 

Mortimer’s father worked at Coney Island, which had a more elegant section called Luna Park that required an admission fee. What attracted 12-year-old Mortimer was the music he could hear emanating from the rides and the restaurants while he attended Luna Park in the evenings. He carried this impression with him all through his life.

 

When Mortimer was in his 20s, he befriended a composer of popular music  because he played the piano so well. After reaching financial success with the Custom Shop, music became a bigger part of Mortimer’s life. He bought what was then considered to be the premier record player, a Capehart. It  could play several records without reloading, so when he woke in the morning, the first thing Mortimer did was turn on the record player to hear his favorite melodies.   In the early 1970s, Westport in Connecticut was looking for a place to build a structure where teenagers could listen to music outdoors on Friday and Saturday nights instead of roaming the streets with nothing to do. It reminded Mortimer of his youth, when he spent evenings in Luna Park listening to music under the stars in utter enchantment.

 

A site was located in the middle of town along the Saugatuck River, and a fund drive began to erect a simple structure. When not enough money was collected, Mortimer was approached, and he immediately agreed to fund what was needed on the condition that he could have a say about the design. He wanted to make sure that the new pavilion would fit into the New England atmosphere of the town. And the Levitt Pavilion was born. 

 

 

To bring music into the lives of young people, Mortimer designed a high school course called From Rock to Bach, which has been taught at the Lawrence Long Island High School for several years. He also helped fund a marching band at the same school, which goes to Disney World in Florida every year and performs there for three days. On his 90th birthday, Mortimer sold the company he had owned for 60 years and decided to replace his 82 custom shirt shops with Levitt Pavilions around the country.

Today, the family of Levitt Pavilions in Westport, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Memphis, and now in Arlington, live on to provide the same magic of music under the stars that enthralled and inspired a young Mortimer Levitt.