Amphitheatre Auditorium
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Amphitheatre Auditorium was a theatre building in Louisville, Kentucky, USA at the corner of 4th and Hills Streets. Upon its completion on September 23, 1889, the large wooden structure boasted the second largest stage in the U.S., beaten only by the New York Opera House. Then simply referred to as "The Auditorium", it had been built with materials from the nearby dismantled remains of the Southern Exposition building, which was located just a block away. It contained over 2,000 electric lights, could seat 3,072, and the stage was 90 feet across and 60 feet deep.
The theatre was run by the eccentric William Norton, Jr., who went by the name Daniel Quilp, a villain in Charles Dickens' novel The Old Curiosity Shop. He promoted the Auditorium with the phrase "Only for great attractions". Norton also used the theatre as a place for the poor to collect handouts once a week. Upon his death he willed that his theatre workers receive a three months salary. He also gave 900,000 dollars of his estate to the Louisville Baptists' Orphan's Home.
Many of the day's great actors and political figures performed there, inlcluding Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, John Phillip Sousa, Theodore Roosevelt, and Booker T. Washington. The theatre was part of a large entertainment complex that included a bike riding park, a man made lagoon, a promenade, and a ten thousand seat out door amphitheatre used for fireworks shows, including The Last Days of Pompei and Americus.
After Norton's death no buyers could be found for the Auditorium or surrounding attractions. The site was purchased for $900 and razed on May 5, 1905.
