Chautauqua ( ) Hall is a historic building in

Pacific Grove, California Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, in the United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,090. Pacific Grove is located between Point Pinos and Monterey. Pacific Grove has numerous Victorian-era houses, so ...

, United States. It was built in 1881 by the

Pacific Improvement Company The Pacific Improvement Company (PIC) was a large holding company in California and an affiliate of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was formed in 1878, by the Big Four, who were influential businessmen, philanthropists and railroad tycoons who ...

for the Pacific Grove Retreat Association for presenting concerts and entertainment. On July 20, 1970, the building was declared a California Historical Landmark #839. In 2022 the hall hosts classes and programs for the city. This facility is Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

History

The Chautauqua Hall was built in 1881 by the

for the Pacific Grove Methodist-Episcopal Camp Retreat for seven years (1881-1888). It is located on the southwest corner of 16th Street and Central Avenue. It was called a "Hall in the Grove," and later became known as Chautauqua Hall. The wood-framed structure has a

gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...

and

board-and-batten A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields. In the lighting industry, battens refer to linea ...

siding. The hall served as a location for hosting the annual Chautauqua Recognition Day ceremonies. During the summer months, the large meeting hall provided a place for public lectures, and two classrooms for

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

services. During the winter months, the building served as a storage facility for the campground tents. The hall dates to the days when Pacific Grove was the western headquarters for the

Chautauqua Movement Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

. The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC) established a western branch at Pacific Grove in June 1879. Sunday school teachers of the local Methodist Church used the hall as a summer training camp. Known worldwide as 'Chautauqua-by-the-Sea,' it made Pacific Grove a cultural center for adult Christian education. In 1883, Mary EB Norton instructed a course in general botany during the summer assembly. She had a place to house the Assembly's natural history collection. She held two sessions daily at the Chautauqua Hall. In 1884, Carrie Lloyd opened a summer school for children in the hall. In 1885, the Pacific Grove School District was formed and classes were held in the hall for several years, until the Methodist Episcopal Church and Assembly Hall was built on Lighthouse Avenue in 1888. By 1890, thousands of visitors came, via the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

and the

Pacific Steamship Company The Pacific Steamship Company was a US freight and passenger shipping company that operated between 1916 and 1936. The company was formed by the merger of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and the Pacific-Alaska Navigation Company and was a di ...

, to Pacific Grove's Chautauqua Methodist meetings. Orator and politician

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

, and

William Rufus Shafter William Rufus Shafter (October 16, 1835 – November 12, 1906) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Fair Oaks. Shafter ...

the "hero of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

," were among the guests that visited the Chautauqua Hall. In 1898, the

Epworth League Founded in 1889, the Epworth League is a Methodist young adult association for people aged 18 to 35. It had its beginning in Cleveland, Ohio, at its Central Methodist Church on May 14 and 15, 1889. There was also a Colored Epworth League. Before ...

, of the Methodist young adult association, came to Chautauqua Hall in the summertime. The California Methodist Conference, Farmers' Institute,

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

, and

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

also came to the hall.

John H. Vincent John Heyl Vincent (February 23, 1832 – May 9, 1920) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was born at Tuscaloosa, Ala., and was educated at Lewisburg (Pa.) Academy and at Wesleyan Institute, Newark, N. J. He ent ...

, founder of the Chautauqua movement, came for a visit to the hall and said, "The Hall in the Grove is the center of our charmed circle." On July 20, 1970, the State Department of Parks and Recreation & City of Pacific Grove erected a landmark marker Number 839 at the Chautauqua Hall in Pacific Grove. The marker says: The hall has been restored in 1988 and 2005. Today, the building is used as a dance hall, with a three-piece band.

References

External links

City of Pacific Grove, Chautauqua Hall

California Historical Landmarks in Monterey County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chautauqua Hall Buildings and structures in Monterey County, California California Historical Landmarks Methodism in California 1881 establishments in California

History

See also

References

External links