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Visit our social media pages to find out more about what makes Shelbyville so special. A short message about two of the many great things about Shelbyville Illinois, Forest Park and the Chautauqua Auditorium.
Walkers, runners, hikers, and bicyclists are already enjoying the natural beauty that the trail offers. A Grand Opening celebration was held July of 2006 as the first mile of the trail received surface improvements in the spring of 2006. The trail surface was upgraded from dirt and grass to a ten foot wide limestone surface. Another improvement at various locations is the placements of benches for users to rest and take in some spectacular views.
The Chautauqua Auditorium, built in 1903, is a large historic icosagonal (20-sided) wooden chautauqua meeting hall located at Forest Park and North East 9th Street, Shelbyville, Illinois, United States. On January 30, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
In 2009 Landmarks Illinois declared it one of the 10 most endangered historic places in Illinois. The building is in need of extensive repairs which are estimated to cost $1,750,000. The city of Shelbyville which owns the auditorium has threatened to tear it down if repairs cannot be made within 2 years. The Chautauqua Auditorium Preservation Committee is working on funding for a four-phase renovation project.
This site is dedicated to the Chautauqua Auditorium located in Forest Park, Shelbyville, Illinois. This building has been the trademark of this community since the early 1900's. On October 20th, 2008 , the Shelbyville City Council approved the Chautauqua Auditorium Preservation Committee. The Committee is currently composed of Co-Chairman Wayne Gray, Co-Chairman Mark Atteberry, Larry Burk, Liz Schafer, Gwen Helton, Carol Hurley, June McCain, Dorothy Dilley, Jamie Horsman, Mary Ellen Boley, David Young, Noel Bolinger, Patricia Peterson, John Chambers, Carol Hott and Cory Fry. It is the focus of this committee to lead the way in developing the restoration project of this extremely unique structure. The project will be developed in multiple phases including the initial structural modifications needed to stabilize the building. The Chautauqua Auditorium in Shelbyville, Illinois is a twenty-sided structure made up mostly of wood. The aesthetic of the building was intended to resemble a large tent, which exhibits some of the early beginnings of the Chautauqua movement. The building has a series of 40 operable clerestory windows, 18 large windows located on the main floor level and ten large vertical overhead doors. The Shelbyville Chautauqua Auditorium was designed by a Chicago area Architect named Morrison H. Vail. Vail was also the designer for the Chautauqua structure that was constructed in 1899 in Dixon, IL. That structure was a twenty-four sided structure and had a clear span of 160 feet. That structure was patented in 1902. The Dixon, IL Chautauqua Auditorium was destroyed in the 1940's by fire.
The structure of the Chautauqua Auditorium is extraordinary and as notable as the history of the building itself. The structure is made up of twenty trusses made up of multi-ply wood top chords, double steel tie-rod bottom chords and solid timber web construction. The trusses bear on timber columns located at each end of the walls that make up the twenty-sided structure. Each column is supported on foundations of 4' x 4' flared concrete footings and is anchored to the footings by wrought iron anchors. The lateral support for the building is made up of 2x6 shear walls and horizontal tongue and groove plank siding. The clear span of the structure is 150 feet, which meant that visitors to the building would not have to contend with intermediate columns that could impair viewing of the stage.
The Shelbyville Chautauqua Auditorium contains a wood stage that is approximately 36' x 36'. At the top of the stage are Grecian statues representing Art, Music and Drama. The Auditorium also had an orchestra pit at one time that could seat up to twenty musicians. The seating is arranged in a bowl-shape similar to many modern day auditoriums.
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shelby county historical society video, Shelbyville, Illinois.wmvby eschloz231 views
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