The future of the Amphitheater.

Summary

The Chautauqua Institution is a summer destination located in the Southern Tier of New York. The Institution is organized around the four pillars of arts, education, religion, and recreation. Several US presidents have visited and lectured at Chautauqua, including Bill Clinton and Franklin D. Roosevelt who delivered his historic “I hate War” speech from the Amphitheater’s stage. The Amphitheater hosts a wide variety of shows such as concerts, theater, opera, symphony, lecture, ballet, and church services. This historic Amphitheater was in need of renovation and expansion, but the project had to be sympathetic to the Amphitheater’s historic significance. Wendel was involved with this highly visible and very complex reconstruction project from the earliest concept design and studies through to construction.

Project Objectives

Wendel has completed a study report with The Chautauqua Institution regarding the future of the Amphitheater. The 5,000-seat open air Amphitheater is lovingly referred to as the heart of the Institution. Chautauqua has assembled a group of industry experts to investigate topics such as history, program, operations, accessibility, community desires, capacity, longevity, etc.

The scope of work included the demolition of the entire seating bowl, stage, significant portions of the roof canopy, all columns, and the back of house structure. The renovated space includes an expanded seating bowl, enlarged canopy, new stage, orchestra pit, a 20,000 square foot of back of house space, new lighting and sound equipment, and theatrical equipment.

The process incorporated a diverse group of industry experts to investigate topics such as history, program, operations, accessibility, community desires, capacity, longevity, etc. Wendel was both the Architect and Engineer of record on this ambitious preservation project. Working closely with two specialty Theatre architects, Serena Sturm Architects from Chicago and Mitchell Kurtz Architect from New York City, the team completed this historic and challenging $40 million dollar renovation project in a single off-season.

The scope of work included the demolition of the entire historic seating bowl, stage, significant portions of the roof canopy, all columns, and the back of house structure. The design incorporated green infrastructure initiatives and was intended to look similar to the notable historic structure while adding modern amenities such as glare controls for state lighting and mechanics that were robust yet quiet and unobtrusive. The columns were reduced in size to produce better sightlines throughout the amphitheater while mimicking the aesthetics of the historic structure. Other aspects of the project included enhancing ease of movement for patrons when entering and exiting the amphitheater and improving fire suppression systems. Additionally, the surrounding hardscape was designed to fit the vocabulary of the site and to integrate seamlessly with the existing landscape.

Results

The existing amphitheater was demolished and reconstructed during the off-season despite winter weather conditions and challenging foundation conditions due to a sloping hillside and extreme groundwater conditions. The structure of the historic organ chamber was shored and underpinned to prevent the adjacent deep excavations from undermining the structure. The result was an enlarged seating capacity with enhanced patron experience.

The project’s successful improvements include enhanced sustainability, increased seating capacity with weather protection, dramatically improved back-of-house capacity for performers and performance logistics, and improved lighting and audio-visual capabilities. This was all accomplished while being sensitive to the historic nature of the theatre and its location on this prestigious campus.