Chautauqua Shed Demolished

Workers have started demolishing the Chautauqua Amphitheater in Chautauqua, N.Y., despite preservationists’ hope of saving the historic venue that has hosted the likes of Susan B. Anthony, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thurgood Marshall and Duke Ellington.  
The 120-year-old Chautauqua Amphitheater in New York may, or may not, be torn down.

The Chautauqua Institution that oversees the shed will use $41.5 million dollars in private donations to start over at the site, according to WIVB-TV. The tear-down will reportedly happen gradually and the institution will recycle and repurpose what they can. Workers hope to have the demolition complete by late September so the new construction can begin, WIVB said. Leaders at the Institution voted about a year ago to demolish and rebuild its amphitheater rather than preserve the 122-year-old space.

The institution’s plans to rebuild the open-air venue led to an outcry from preservationists and a series of discussions about possible alternatives. Administrators cited a need for structural repairs and better wheelchair access, as well as an orchestra pit for the staging of larger productions.