Round Lake Auditorium

In 1868, Round Lake, NY began as a “camp meeting” town, with as many as 20,000 gathering to hear rousing summer sermons. By the late 1800s, the town evolved into a Chautauqua-styled educational resort, complete with hotels, museums, and lecture halls.

Its literal and figurative center was the Auditorium. From a rough platform in a tree grove, it grew to an open-sided building with canvas flaps, and, in 1912, to the glass-enclosed pavilion we see today. Falling into ruin by the 1950s and nearly bulldozed, the Auditorium is now lovingly restored with modern amenities, creating a cultural venue of rustic architectural beauty.