The Auditorium
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The Auditorium was located on Academy Street, directly across from the Academy Street School, near these coordinates: 39.704083, -75.109690. Charles P. Abbott and his brother-in-law John Long built the structure. It was presented to the excited public on September 1st, 1910.
When constructed, the building was valued at $35,000 (Approximately $995,000 in 2022). The building was three stories high and could hold 1,200 people. It was the largest Auditorium in South Jersey at the time. It had a bowling alley, lunchrooms, theatre, billiard room, and more. The facility was also used for theater productions, including minstrel shows (Wikipedia: Minstrel Show).
Three United States presidents visited this structure (and Glassboro). In 1911, Governor Woodrow Wilson (President from 1913 to 1921) came to Glassboro and spoke to the community on the Auditorium steps. In 1912, former President William Howard Taft took a train to Glassboro and arrived at the Reading Train Station, which was located on the southwest corner of High Street and South Academy Street at these coordinates 39.702051, -75.110103. President Taft was then likely transported by horse-drawn carriage to the Auditorium, where he gave a campaign speech on the front steps facing the Academy Street School. In 1913, former President Theodore Roosevelt also campaigned in Glassboro, where he spoke at the Auditorium steps.
Though the Auditorium was said to have been fireproof (built with metal sheets surrounding the wood structure), a mysterious fire destroyed it in 1917. The community could do nothing to save it; however, many nearby homes and businesses were saved. Though town officials often discussed rebuilding the structure, it was never rebuilt. The loss of the Auditorium was a massive loss to the community.
To learn more about the Auditorium, visit Jacelynn Duranceau’s Cultural Geography student project titled:
Glassboro’s Auditorium: An Atypical and Complicated Center for Town Activities
For More Information about the Fire
The Fire at the Auditorium
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The Glassboro Memory Mapping Project is made possible through the kindness of our community volunteers. Please get in touch with us to provide information or help with the project.
