Roxbury Bandshell – Johnstown PA

Description

“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 Council in 1937 by a local community association who later agreed to raise funds for the required sponsor’s share for a WPA project.  After Council’s approval, community representatives visited a recently completed bandshell in Hagerstown, MD, and subsequently established the Johnstown Music Pavilion Committee.  For the proposed pavilion, the sponsor’s share was to be only $5,000, but with modifications and additions to the project, the amount rose to $14,318 and the total cost of the bandshell reached $70,000.”

“By April 1939,  WPA had approved the plans and on May 14, 1939 an estimated 3,000 people were present for the ground breaking.”

“According to the souvenir program, the [55-foot-tall] pavilion was constructed using an estimated 2,200 tons of native stone, 969 barrels of cement,  576 tons of sand and 192 tons of slag.  Approximately 697 man-months of labor were needed to complete the project.”