The Amphitheater

The Amphitheater. . , The Amphitheater, or New Auditorium, was constructed in 1899, dedicated in 1900, and was considered Mountain Lake Park's most notable asset. Other resort areas had invigorating mountain air, noble oak trees, and no mosquitoes, bur architect John H. Cilley of Lebanon, Pa., built few amphitheaters like the one he built in the Park., The exterior of the circular structure, which had a diameter of 172 feet, looked like a huge umbrella raised on the hill that drops from G Street to what is now Route 135. One entered the back of the auditorium from G Street, and the tiers of seats extended below, following the contour of the hill in a semicircle. The entrance to the dressing rooms that were located beneath the stage was located on the highway side of the building., The roof was a complex webbing of beams and reverse , or upside-down , rafters joined at the top by a large metal ring and supported entirely by 36 chestnut posts spaced around the perimeter, so there were no interior posts to obstruct the view of the stage. The center of the building rose to a height of 75 feet. The acoustics of the space were said to be excellent throughout. The auditorium seated 5,000, and the stage alone could accommodate as many as 450. The anticipated cost of construction was $6,000; however, it was reported that there was an overrun of $1,860.22., The amphitheater was used for concerts, Chautauqua programs, and lectures for four decades, but to ever-diminishing crowds as Mountain Lake Park's heyday as a cultural, educational, recreational resort community came to an end. Among the earlier speakers was President William H. Taft in August 1911. The building was last used in 1941. The amphitheater was torn down in 1946, not because of any significant structural deterioration or weakness (it had to be pulled down by tractors with chains), but because there was no person or group responsible for its maintenance, and it posed a significant fire hazard.