Summit Playhouse

Summit Playhouse
Original 1891 building
Location: 10 New England Avenue
Summit, New Jersey
Built: ca. 1891
Architect: Arthur Bates Jennings
Architectural style: Romanesque
Governing body: Local
NRHP Reference#: 09001177[1]
NJRHP #: 4407[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP: December 30, 2009
Designated NJRHP: September 29, 2009

The Summit Playhouse is a theater in Summit, New Jersey and home to one of the oldest continuously operating amateur community theaters in the United States[3] producing a new show each calendar season.[4] In 2011, it presented Meet Me in St. Louis,[5] Closer Than Ever,[6] and Speed the Plow.[3]

Contents

History

The original stone Romanesque building designed by Arthur Bates Jennings was constructed in 1891 as the town's first library.[1] A municipally-operated Summit Public Library was established in 1900, and in 1910 the library was moved to another building, leaving the Romanesque building under-utilized but still belonging to the library. In 1918, The Playhouse Association was founded as a World War I relief organization, and the theatrical group rented the empty older library from the Summit Library Association for one dollar a year for the next fifty years on condition that the group maintain the facility. In 1960, a 120-seat auditorium was added and the original 1891 structure was converted into a stage. The Summit Library Association officially deeded the building to the theater in 1968.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Union County". NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office. April 1, 2010. p. 19. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/union.pdf. 
  3. ^ a b John De Bellis (January 19, 2011). "A Challenging Work in Progress at Summit Playhouse". Summit Patch. http://summit.patch.com/articles/a-challenging-work-in-progress-at-summit-playhouse. Retrieved 2011-09-12. "... the historic community theater–one of the oldest amateur companies in the nation–..." 
  4. ^ a b "Summit Playhouse". Summit Playhouse Association. http://summitplayhouse.org/. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  5. ^ "SUMMIT PLAYHOUSE PROUDLY PRESENTS 94TH SEASON". The Alternative Press. September 09 2011. http://thealternativepress.com/articles/summit-playhouse-proudly-presents-94th-season--2. Retrieved 2011-09-12. "MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is running at the Summit Playhouse November..." 
  6. ^ Liz Keill (April 28, 2011). "‘Closer Than Ever’ at Summit Playhouse; a light-hearted musical romp across the life span". Independent Press. http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/04/closer_than_ever_at_summit_pla.html. Retrieved 2011-09-12. "Director Susan Speidel brings the music to life in a spirited production at The Summit Playhouse." 

External links