The Auditorium was a favorite to many. It stood proudly from c. 1939, when it was built, until 2006 when it was razed. Lots of memories were had here. It was used for many things for ESH. Back in the day, they used to hold plays and church services. Up until the mid 90's they held a Christmas program in which both patients and staff would put on skits. I've been told they are on tap somewhere and are very funny and impressive. This building was used most recently for AA which was held in the basement. Overall, this building has seen a lot of use. I'm guessing the construction of the AT building in the 1960's outdated this facility. It is too bad that they were unable to find a new use for it as it set stagnant for years. Now it is a pile or ruble.
The exterior of the aesthetically pleasing building.
Just south of the Phantom Theatre and adjacent to the main building sits this structure. Even boarded up its still nice to look at.
From the parking lot,this is the view you get. You can see the damage on the roof.
From the opposite side just under the Phantom Theatre.
Tealman and I found a way in through the back door which led to the stage. The inside of the building shows what a beautiful building this once was. The deterioration of the ceiling and roof make it look pretty bad, but one can still see what a gorgeous building this once was. Here are some pics of the main area.
Standing on the stage looking out.
Facing North.
Facing South.
The terrible ceiling with roof showing.
The thing that all auditoriums from the 1920's seem to have.
The one remaining light fixture on the balcony.
The terrible ceiling with roof showing.
The piano stands just to the side of the stage. It was pretty rotten.
One of the doors to the back area from the seats.
The main area was very impressive, but that goes without saying. On to the back of the building and the upstairs.
The hallway between the Auditorium and the outside doors.
Same room without the flash to give a better idea of how it looks.
The lobby area. Doors on the left go outside and the doors on the right lead to the main area.
Downstairs bathroom.
I didn't have to go. I'm glad.
The upstairs area was pretty impressive. It had antique sound systems and other things.
Upstairs.
South facing down towards lobby.
North facing down towards lobby.
The door leads to the balcony. Going left leads to the sound room.
The sound room as I call it.
The antique sound equipment.
A great shot from the sound room's little window.
The next area explored was the basement. Judging by what was found down in the basement I ascertained that chapel was held here. However, I was told they held it upstairs it the auditorium. I do know for sure that the AA meetings were held down here. The Chaplain's room was also down there somewhere.
The main basement area. You can sort of see what it might have looked like. There were pews stack in the middle, which led me to believe they held chapel down here.
Basement facilities.
Curtains in the main basement area.
A close up of the little stage at the back of the main basement area.
This was a room behind the main room. It had a door that went upstairs to the outside. It also had more modern sound equipment.
A small room directly behind the state. It had a podium, chairs, and some other things.
Side room in the basement.
Hallway beyond the sound room.
Though the staircases in the lobby went to the basement, there was another narrow one that came up by the stage.
Basement room with the door to the outside.
Stairs coming up from the basement to the lobby.
Same stairs going down.
I'm going to save the best for last. The stage area. The stage was quite impressive. It still had artifacts from previous performance held here. It was just breathtaking.
Standing on stage facing south. You can see some of the artifacts toward the back. They were mostly Christmas things.
Some stuff just laying there.
The other side of the stage. The ladder on the left leads to the speaker room.
The crate that hides the speakers.
The backside of the speakers.
The speakers.
The rope thingy mechanism that I'm sure once moved the curtains.
Another angle of the ropes.
This concludes the tour of the Auditorium. This building was amazing. I only wish it could have been used again for things. It would have been awesome to fix it up and use it in the park, but it was in pretty bad shape. I already miss this building.
