Amphitheaters and Bandshells Sites

Formerly known as Norman City Park, this site was established in the late 1890s and considerably improved during the New Deal: "Between 1935 and 1937, under the New Deal programs, several items were constructed in the southwest portion of the park. Work was performed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Works Progress Administration with some work done by the National Youth Administration. A beautiful native stone amphitheater was constructed which is still in use today. The amphitheater is a semi-circle, with three sections of twenty rows of seating. The seats are native stone benches with concrete caps. At the rear of...

Designed by Hal Lynch and J. Carl Jourdan and completed in 1939, this Art Deco style arena has been upgraded and well-maintained through the years. The stage is original.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was very active in the Coronado National Forest during the 1930s. Coronado National Forest is discontinuous across southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico because the forested areas occur only on isolated mountain ranges called "Sky Islands" – a type of landscape similar to the Basin and Range in Nevada. CCC camp F-30 was located in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains (we are not sure exactly where or for how long).  The CCC 'boys' (enrollees) did extensive work in the canyon, including a campground, picnic area, amphitheater, trails and erosion works. The amphitheater is located about...

"An outdoor, amphitheatre built near Ely" was a result of New Deal construction in northern Nevada. Further information about this project is needed.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) erected an amphitheater in Mineral Wells, Texas during the Great Depression. The natural rock, earth, and grass amphitheater behind the Lillian Peek Home Economics building in Mineral Wells was constructed in 1937. Both projects were recently renovated by the 50 Year Club of Mineral Wells.

The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed an amphitheater on the campus of what is now Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU). The amphitheater is located between the University Center and Roy S. Nicks Hall. Waymarking: "Once known as "the passion pit," this area was completed by Works Progress Administration workers in 1941. The amphitheater is used for student assemblies and staff picnics and is still a wonderful place to enjoy the sunshine with friends."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an amphitheater as a recreational facility for the old Utah State Training School for the disabled.  The school has grown and changed its name to the Utah State Development Center and the part of the grounds  with the amphitheater have passed to the City of American Fork at Quail Cove Park. The magnificent amphitheater, built of local stone (no doubt from Rock Canyon), is banked into a hillside landscaped with pines. In front of the amphitheater are a stone wall and graceful curved steps leading to a large lawn bordered with trees and shrubs. The...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did extensive improvements at Armstrong State Park, 1933 to 1941.    The most impressive of the CCC works is a large amphitheater, which was under renovation during a visit in December 2022.    Many other features of the CCC's work remain, as well, such as stone stoves, stone drinking fountains, water lines, trails and the old community center.  Some buildings near the park entrance may be left over from the CCC camp.  In 1990, an informational plaque at the front of the park  was installed by members of the National Association of CCC Alumni, Luther Burbank Chapter 131.  But...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did extensive improvements at Armstrong State Park, 1933 to 1941.   Over the years, CCC Companies 594, 1553. 1920, 1988 and 2916 were stationed at Camp Armstrong, SP-39 (originally known as Camp Armstrong Woods, P-804), which was located by the present entrance to the park.  The enrollees built an amphitheater, a community building (including warden's headquarters), picnic areas with stone stoves and tables of redwood, a timber bridge, two miles of road improvements, cleared underbrush, and made general improvements to park grounds and other facilities (Goddard 1976). Many of those features remain.  The amphitheater was under renovation during a...

Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center/Park was developed between 1936 and 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), working with the Oakland Recreation Department.  The WPA funded the project for around $60,000 in 1935 (Chronicle 1935). The 16 acre site on Arroyo Viejo Creek was purchased by the city in pieces, starting in 1935.  The entire purchase cost about $36,000 (Post-Enquirer 1935). The property had belonged to the Japanese Domoto family, who operated a nursery there.  (An interesting sidelight is that Kenji Domoto went on to be a famous landscape architect) The work of creating a new park began with tearing down acres of...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was active in Rocky Mountain National Park throughout the New Deal era, 1933-42.  Among the other works undertaken by CCC enrollees was the construction of three amphitheaters, at Aspenglen Campground, Moraine Park Museum and Glacier Basin campground.  These were used for educational presentations by park rangers and staff. The Aspenglen and Glacier Basin amphitheaters were built in 1938 (Brock, p. 43), as part of general upgrades to those campgrounds (Brock, p 41).  The amphitheaters were designed by the National Park Service in Rustic Style and meant to blend into the landscape and surrounding trees.  The one...

"The landscape was planned and supervised by Phillip Wyman, a landscape architect from Milwaukee in the 1930's. This park holds an important geographical position in the visual landscape of the city. Badger Park is an 81/2 acre park, developed in 1934-1935 as a WPA project... The park includes a swimming pool, bath house, shelter houses, double tennis courts, concession stand, a picnic ground with fireplaces, tables and benches, a natural amphitheater commanding a view of two baseball diamonds and a football field... After the details were worked out, final approval was given by the federal government to start the park...

Bancroft Park in Colorado Springs is still widely used. The bandstand is still in good condition. There are several Pickle Ball courts that are still in use. Previously, there was a large lake that was (probably) constructed by WPA employees. You can still see the remnants of this lake. "Bancroft Park has been a park since the early 20th century when the old Bancroft School was torn down. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the band shell in 1935 and this historic square has been the site of many a concert, event and open-air market since then."

A band shell in Clay Center's Dexter Park was constructed in 1934. The work is often attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). However, since the WPA did not exist until 1935, it is likely that that the band shell was actually constructed by one of the WPA's predecessor agencies: the Civil Works Administration (CWA) or Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), each of which was active in 1934.

"The Band Shell built as a WPA project in 1935 sets as a centerpiece on the east side of Swensson Park. Many times during the year, you can experience concerts, special performances, and 50 years of local Broadway RFD outdoor theatre productions." Today the Swensson band shell houses "Broadway RFD," the longest running outdoor theater in Kansas.

"Residents of Laramie are probably familiar with the large concrete semi-dome that anchors the southwest corner of Washington Park. The Edgar J. Lewis bandshell has become a staple in the community as Laramie's only public outdoor stage. It is a memorial, in a way, to University of Wyoming music professor Edgar J. Lewis for whom the bandshell is named. It was renamed in the 1980s to honor the professor. The concrete structure is also a memorial to events that affected the entire nation for over a decade. The Edgar J. Lewis Bandshell was a Works Progress Administration project that was...

The bandshell in Lingle Town Park, a.k.a. Whipple Park, was constructed by the Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) in 1941-2.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a band shell in Melbeta, Nebraska. The location and status of the structure are presently unknown to Living New Deal, though we believe it to be no longer extant.

The Work Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell in Mikkelson Park in New Hampton, Iowa. Completed in 1937, it cost about $5,000 and could accommodate 55 musicians. It features two locker rooms.

The Work Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell at Central Park—also known as Centennial Park—in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It was dedicated in June 1936. There is no bandshell in the park today.

"The existing bandshell was constructed in 1992 to replace and earlier building constructed in 1934. The City received CWA funds to construct the original bandshell adjacent to the stadium in the fairgrounds park. It burned in 1992 and was replaced by the existing concrete block building in 1998. The contributing landscaping consists of the grassy lawn in front of the stage and dense linear segments of deciduous shrubs that follows the curve of the road between Eisenhower Park Road and Pine Street. It is unclear whether this landscaping was part of the CWA project that funded construction of the bandshell or...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a new bandstand "on the public square" in Lisbon, Ohio.  The structure, which measured 32 by 56 feet, contained six tiers of seats and was constructed of native stone. Capacity was 84. The status and location of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.

In 1913 the City of Tyler purchased the land for Bergfeld Park. Starting in 1936, the Works Progress Administration made improvements to the park including a stone amphitheater, rock culverts, and a rock lined creek, restrooms, and tennis courts. The city renovated the amphitheater in 2017 with a new stage and seating arrangement.

The Bidwell Bowl amphitheater sits along Big Chico Creek on the California State University, Chico campus.  It was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938, no doubt in conjunction with improvements the WPA was making in Bidwell Park at the time (just upstream). The campus website provides the following information: "Built as a WPA project in 1938, the amphitheater known as the Bidwell Bowl was one of many ventures in Chico that created work for people during the depression. Located on the bank of the creek, next to the Physical Science building, the Bidwell Bowl had been used for various...

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) installed a camp at Big Basin, California's first state park (1901), and built a variety of facilities for public recreation.   Big Basin was saved through the efforts of Sempervirens Club (now Fund), as one of the last and largest groves of giant coast redwoods left in the Santa Cruz Mountains. CCC men built the park headquarters (1936), an amphitheater of redwood logs, campgrounds, other park buildings and miles of trails, and probably roads and water lines, as well. For 75 years, those facilities remained virtually unchanged (one footbridge across...

"Dramatic views off of the 200-foot bluff and from the CCC-built loop road are among the featured attractions of this 382-acre park. Early morning or sunset, joggers, walkers and cyclists circle the loop, enjoying these views as they exercise. An elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display is one of the largest in the region. Other activities include picnicking, nature study and sightseeing." CCC construction: Entrance Portals, Park Road 8, Culverts, Bridges, Concession Building (currently park offices), Keeper’s Dwelling, Stone Pavilion, Restrooms, Picnic Tables, Stone Steps, and Retaining Walls. An amphitheater was designed, started, but not completed. A Stone Pump House and...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) laborers improved Brown County State Park from 1933 - 1934. The CWA laborers built shelters and worked on establishing trails during their brief stay at Brown County State Park. In 1933 two Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps were established. The two camps were comprised of World War I veterans. The CCC laborers built gatehouses, shelters, trails, an exhibit shelter, saddle barns, amphitheater, and more. The CCC camps were disbanded in 1941.

CCC laborers completed the park amphitheater in 1936. The amphitheater was built into a wooded hillside near the Abe Martin Lodge, as a place for programs and entertainment. The seats, stage, and steps were all made from native stone.

"Besides constructing the amphitheater, workers from the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) also helped drain the ravine which Cain Park is situated in, covering up and culverting the creek that ran through its center. Attractive landscaping, tennis courts, ball fields, and walking paths completed the transformation of the former "wild" land into a public park."

Workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the amphitheater at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, Ohio during the 1930s. "CAIN PARK THEATER was the first municipally owned and operated outdoor theater in the U.S. ... A permanent 3,000-seat open-air auditorium and 80' stagehouse were built by Italian stonemasons working under the WPA and dedicated on 10 Aug. 1938."

Carmel's Forest Theater was established in 1910, when Carmel-by-the-Sea was founded as an artists' colony (and real estate speculation).  Since then, it has been a fixture of the Carmel scene and the life of the city.   The was deeded to the town of Carmel in 1937, which soon applied to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for help in renovating and improving it. The WPA renovation took place in 1939-40 and included a reinforced concrete floor, new seating, a new stage and dressing rooms underneath, and a new surrounding stone wall and entry stairs. There is a WPA plaque on the...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell ca. 1939 at Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee, "to the right of the present structure." That structure, which Living New Deal believes served between 1937 and 1963, has since been demolished and replaced.

Charles R. Adams Park is a 32-acre public city park located in southwest Atlanta, Georgia. The park is surrounded by the neighborhood of Cascade Heights. Construction of the park began in the mid-1930s, and the dedication ceremony took place in 1940. The park used county funds, federal relief money and Works Progress Administration labor to construct many of the facilities and landscape features. William L. Monroe, Sr., a noted Atlanta landscaper, is credited with the design. "The property consists of a 32-acre designed landscape including passive greenspace, a lake and stream, and active recreational and community facilities. The...

Completed in 1936 to provide space for community theater and musical performances, this beautiful Works Progress Administration stone amphitheater remains in good condition in Chestnut Ridge Park, off of East Avenue in Akron, Ohio. The amphitheater has been given Ohio Historic Preservation Office No SUM-354-16. Akron submitted a$1,000,000 proposal to WPA to improve Glendale and Waters parks, along with 10 other parks (Akron Beacon Journal, Dec. 23, 1935, p. 23). The projects were announced approved in March 1936, and Akron’s share of $30,000 was financed with bonds. Work was provided for “several hundred men”, 24 separate projects on 38 park properties and...

The Works Progress Administration built a city park and amphitheater in Memphis TX. The amphitheater has seating for around 2000 people and excellent acoustics. The semi-circular concrete stand is perfectly paced to fit the contours of a high bluff it faces and serves equally well for singing events, plays, band concerts, and other entertainments. Picnic facilities included in the park project converted a tree lined park into a popular recreation center.

The City Park Band Shell in Twin Falls, Idaho was constructed as a Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) project in 1934-1935, part of a larger program of civic improvements around the city of Twin Falls. The band shell is still in use.  Unfortunately, there is no acknowledgement of the role of the New Deal and local relief workers on or around the bandshell. There might be a plaque hidden under the ivy on the back of the structure, but the information sign in front makes it sounds as if the bandshell were built along with the park in the 1904. However,...

This WPA band shell in Concordia's City Park was razed in 1991 when it was deemed unsafe.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted substantial development and improvement work at Grant City Park in Grant, Nebraska. "Among the benefits revealed by this inventory of accomplishments by WPA workers are the five-acre park constructed in Grant, the new playgrounds, five new tennis courts, new band shell, and four horseshoe courts and as well as an outdoor theatre."

Reading, Pennsylvania's historic City Park Fireman's Memorial Bandshell was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. "The City Park Fireman's Memorial Bandshell was dedicated on Labor Day in 1939. The Bandshell, located at Hill Road & Constitution Blvd in Reading, is home to the Ashley for the Arts Bandshell Concert Series held annually. In 2011 the Bandshell was renovated at a cost of a about one million dollars." PWA Docket No. X2137 Prior to the bandshells construction, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project was undertaken, to raze "the front of the old Berks jail and...