Bandstand

Bandstand. Roger Williams Park. , In the 1890s, free open air concerts were the pastime of choice. Financed by the Union Railroad Company and park concessionaires, attendees had the opportunity to hear famous bands and orchestras like the local Reeves American Band. The popularity of these concerts prompted the construction of a bandstand that could accommodate 1,600 people. The structure jutting out over Crystal Like (now Roosevelt Lake) resembled a fishing pier., In 1915, architect John Hutchins Cady and builder Thomas F. Cullinan had something more grand in mind: an ornate 30-foot diameter dome supported by a dozen Corinthian columns. The current structure is a replica built in 1982. Although it looks like stone, the bandstand is mostly wood., Did you know? , The second bandstand had an ironic flaw , the dome produced an echo , so most bands chose to perform on the platform below. The replica also has this echo!, [Captions:] , Pictured above left is the original bandstand located behind the Casino, circa 1905. To the right, a statue was erected in memory of Bowen R. Church, a cornetist who played with the Reeves American band. the statue is now located on land by the Seal House., Below, a crowd gathers on the hill and canoes idle by during an event performance in 1920., Information and photos courtesy of the RWP Museum of Natural History archives, the National Register of Historic Places, and "The Jewel of Providence" by David Marshall.