The Board of the Chautauqua Institution will be meeting this Saturday. Undoubtedly, the big topic on their agenda will revolve around the future of the Chautauqua Amphitheater, known to locals as the Amp. Until just a few months ago the Board was planning to modernize the massively historic and incredibly charming open air theater by demolishing most of it to make room for a biggie sized replica.
Model of proposed new back of house building
Allegedly, the proposed replica was being described by the Institution board as a renovation up until some time last summer, when concerned residents became familiar with the actual plan, more accurately described as demolition. They immediately organized the Committee to Preserve the Historic Chautauqua Amphitheater (CPA) and quickly alerted local press of their findings. The Jamestown Post Journal news paper was the first to publish the actual plan as anything but a renovation. Since then, news organizations in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Erie, and Buffalo among others have published scathing criticisms of the demolition plan. The demolition plan has also been condemned by regional preservation organizations in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Rochester and was recently declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Shortly after this designation the board of the Chautauqua Institution announced that it was putting its plan for demolition on hold until it could further consider its options. (More on this change of heart in a future story.)
In the mean time, the CPA released their own proposals for upgrading the Amp. Needless to say, the CPA plan does not include large-scale demolition of the historic theater. Apparently, the Institution was not pleased with CPA’s public release of this alternate plan. Soon after publication of the non demolition concept, Chautauqua Board President Thomas Becker canceled a planned meeting with CPA in protest.
The plan released by the Committee to Preserve the Amp was prepared by CJS Architects of Rochester. These are the architects responsible for restoration of the F.L. Wright designed Gray Cliff House. They label their plan ” Upgrading the Chautauqua Amphitheater: A Rehabilitation Approach” You can see their plan here. In summary, the rehabilitation approach considers the actual history of the actual historic Amp building to be an indispensable asset, which must be protected and enhanced as new assets are added. Each of CJS’ proposed improvements were analyzed and developed with this important concept in mind. For instance, CJS has determined that 96% of the seats have clear views to a speaker at the enter stage with only 4% obstructed by columns. 79% of the seats have a clear view of the entire stage. The Institution plan to improve views by eliminating half the columns requires demolition of the entire roof, but only results in a 9% gain in seats with a clear view. Is the irreplaceable history of this place worth a 9% gain in clear views? CJS says no and so does reason.
The Institution’s own survey shows that 93% of respondents indicated that the Amp adequately accommodates the Institution’s Programming. 31% felt that the Amp meets those needs perfectly. Respondents felt that the architectural history of the Amp was its most important feature in defining the Amphitheater experience. Does it need improvements? The answer is yes—no one disputes this. Does the Amp need to be demolished to be improved? Perhaps it does if the goal is to create a modern state of the art facility. Maybe it does if you believe that it needs an additional 9% of the seats with unobstructed views. But state of the art is not why people go to Chautauqua. You can get state of the art in any of the several big cities within an easy day trip of Chautauqua. Chautauqua is special because it is NOT state of the art. Chautauqua is special because of its history and charm. Demolition of this historic theater for an over scaled fake is missing the point of why people come to Chautauqua.
You can add your voice to the debate. Let the Chautauqua Institution know how you feel about this issue here. Stay tuned for more on this important preservation story in the near future.