The annual municipal report from 1935 reported on extensive E.R.A. activity in Ashland: “Since May 1, 1934 the Town of Ashland has received approximately $10,000.00 in the form of Federal Emergency Relief Funds. This money has enabled the town to… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the amphitheater at Mutual Dell camp in 1936. It is a modest sized outdoor theater with a concrete and stone stage and wooden plank seating for about 200 people. It was constructed by CCC… read more
“Norris Dam State Park is a state park in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park is situated along the shores of Norris Lake, an impoundment of the Clinch River created by the completion… read more
The original bandshell was built by the WPA, though it was dismantled in the 1940s and rebuilt in the 1950s.
The historic stone amphitheater at Utah State University in Logan, Utah was constructed as a New Deal public works project.
Built by the WPA in 1938 and still in use. It is also known as the Karl King Bandshell. “Hired to design the structure was Henry Kamphoefner, a young architect from Sioux City who had won international recognition for a… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the original theater used to launch the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland OR in 1935, as part of general improvements the WPA was making to Lithia Park at the time. Over the years, the Oregon… read more
Otis Park and Golf Course encompasses nearly 150 acres and features a collection of historic limestone structures from the early 20th century. It was acquired by the City of Bedford, Indiana in 1935 as a gift from Fred B. Otis,… read more
“The historic Amphitheater in Ottawa Park was WPA constructed in 1935-1936. It is located on a sloping piece of ground surrounded by trees in a bird sanctuary section of the park. The 500 tons of stone came from a quarry… read more
“The Outdoor Theater was built as a gift of the Class of 1915, and designed by one of its members and the university’s first architecture graduate, Leon LeGrand. It was built in cooperation with the Work Projects Administration. The Art… read more
The Donald “Sarge” Boyd Bandshell was constructed at a cost of $10,000 in 1937-38 from funding provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Bandshell is located in Owen Park …
The amphitheater in the Papago Buttes at the north end of the Papago city park in Phoenix AZ was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933-34. “Civilian Conservation Corps camp SP5A constructed an amphitheater built into Papago Buttes… read more
Paradise Day Use Area is just a mile and a half from the McKenzie Ranger Station on the south bank of the McKenzie River. This picnic area was laid-out and improved by Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees from CCC Camp Belknap… read more
Paris Mountain State Park was developed in large part by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). “CCC structures, including the Camp Buckhorn lodge, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.” The state park on Paris Mountain was built in… read more
The Roosevelt Bowl is an outdoor amphitheater with 1800 seats. The description of the archival photo below reads: “Constructed in 1934 and 1935 by California Emergency Relief Administration. Cost approx. $45,000, seating capacity 3,000-4,000 persons. Bowl constructed in Natural Amphitheatre… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive improvements to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on the central California coast, developing it for public recreational use. The state parks commission acquired the land in 1933, but had no funds for development…. read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive improvements to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on the central California coast, developing it for public recreational use after the state parks commission acquired the land in 1933. The enrollees worked out of… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed Valley City’s Pioneer Park. In 1937 the WPA completed a stone amphitheater as well as four fieldstone cairns to mark the entrance to the park.
The Plainview Band Shell was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Plainview NE. According to the Architectural Foundation of Nebraska, “The land for the park in which the band shell would be located was purchased in 1935 by… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made the first improvements to the newly-acquired Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Company 1903 worked out of a CCC camp established at the north end of the ‘prairie’ at the present park entrance in 1933…. read more
“The Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area, built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, surrounds a 45- acre lake. The lake was once a log pond and source of water for the Central Coal and Coke Company Sawmill which logged the… read more
The Red Rocks Amphitheatre is probably the greatest single project of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and one of the most memorial accomplishments of the New Deal’s public works programs. It is a magnificent outdoor theater set among the spectacular red… read more
The W.P.A. constructed Harrisburg’s Reservoir Park Bandshell ca. 1939. “The erection of a bandshell was part of a $290,000 grant for area park improvements.”
“The bandshell, originally called the Municipal Music Pavilion, was [built] … under the Works Progress Administration (WPA).” “A souvenir program from the 1940 dedication provides the history and details of the original construction. The project was proposed to Johnstown City… read more
There are multiple facilities in the park – an amphitheater with a NYA marker 1937-38, an unmarked 2 room community center dedicated in 1939 (newspaper article), two park entrance gates, retaining walls with steps, picnic tables and benches, a covered… read more
The Bowl was built in 1936 and was originally intended to serve as an annual performance venue for Fiesta, and now serves as a general performing arts venue for Santa Barbara.
The Open Air Theater is a Greek-style amphitheater. Originally it was used for commencement, daytime speakers, and summertime plays, and in the 1960s housed the San Diego Symphony summer concerts. Today it is still used for graduation events and rallies.
Shakamak is an attractive site today, but in 1930 when it opened as a state park, much of the parcel was a wasteland of abandoned strip mines. Shakamak State Park entered a new phase of development during the Great Depression…. read more
The CCC workers completed an outdoor amphitheater using natural terrain. The amphitheater was completed in 1934.
“In the late 1800s, the Shannon Springs artesian well was used as a watering hole on the Chisholm Trail, bringing cattle from Texas to the railheads up north. This park was established at the site of these springs, at least… read more
“Shannon Springs Park dates back to the early 1900s, but in the mid-1930s, the WPA constructed many things in the park, including this lovely amphitheater. The seats are constructed of native sandstone, in two sections, with a center and outside… read more
Among the 26 WPA projects in Allegheny County approved in Sept. 1935 were two allocations for improvements to South Park, which lies about 10 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh. The allocations were approved for “construction of a grandstand,” for which… read more
This stage was built by the CWA as a memorial to a popular Sacramento supervisor.
A marvelous amphitheater graces the Storm Mountain picnic area. It was created in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC). The amphitheater is built from local stone and backs up against a striking stone cliff, part of the dramatic geology… read more
The campus of Sul Ross State University was greatly developed during the 1930s as a result of efforts on the part of several New Deal agencies, including the Public Works Administration (PWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civil Works Administration (CWA)… read more
Among the numerous construction and improvement projects undertaken at Sul Ross State University during the Great Depression was the construction of the original outdoor theater at Kokernot Lodge by the Civil Works Administration (CWA). Per the El Paso Herald-Post: Earliest… read more
“Built in a public park in 1931, the Sylvan Theater Historic District reflects a movement that took place throughout the United States in the 1930s. It was a movement to expand the facilities of parks beyond the passive enjoyment of… read more
In 1934-36, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the beautiful amphitheater at Aspen Grove – today known as the Theater in the Pines. The amphitheater has an elegant stone stage that includes back and side walls with entrances for actors… read more
WPA crews constructed this square bandstand in 1941. The bandstand has a basement with a rock foundation and façade with rock pillars. It is located in the center of the Princeton town square and is still actively being used. A… read more
Tucson Mountain Park, created in 1929, was opened to general recreation use in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working with the Pima County parks agency. The northern half of the original park was added to the Saguaro National… read more