The Daytona Beach Bandshell is an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

, United States. It is located at Ocean Avenue, north of the junction of Main Street and Atlantic Avenue. On March 5, 1999, it was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. On April 18, 2012, the

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece * ''Aia'', the collected edi ...

's Florida Chapter placed the Daytona Beach Bandshell on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places''. This property is part of the

Daytona Beach Multiple Property Submission The following buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects de ...

to the National Register.

History

In the 1920s, residents of Daytona Beach considered this area to be run-down and held discussions on ways to improve it. In 1936, WPA workers began construction on this community-use project that was to cost Daytona Beach $84,000, the federal government $184,000, and be completed in 1938. Originally known as "Broadwalk", common usage gradually changed the name to the

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of br ...

. The first facility constructed was the 48 foot by 114 foot natural coquina rock

bandshell In theater, a shell (also known as an acoustical shell, choral shell or bandshell) is a curved, hard surface designed to reflect sound towards an audience. Often shells are designed to be removable, either rolling away on wheels or lifting into ...

which seats 4,500. This was begun in September, 1936, and was completed in time for the first program to be presented on July 4, 1937. Open air concerts, as well as other programs, are still presented in the bandshell. The other structures in the boardwalk area are a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

, kiosk, concession facilities, restrooms, subway entrances (now closed), and an elevated walk from Earl to Ora Streets. A local city orchestra, under Everett Allyn Moses, began in 1947. They gave summer concerts in the Bandshell and winter concerts at the city recreation hall. Moses also organized a Junior Orchestra. William P. Schueler became the director of both orchestras after Moses retired in 1952. The bandshell, with the ocean for a backdrop, served as the site of an Oct. 5, 1992, campaign rally attended by presidential candidate

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

and running mate

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...

and their wives, one of several stops during their cross-state bus tour through Florida a month before the 1992 election. The capacity is 5,000.

MTV Spring Break ''MTV Spring Break'' refers to MTV, the channel's annual spring break coverage, featuring numerous live performances from artists and bands on location. The annual tradition continued into the 2000s, when it became de-emphasized and handed off to ...

used to hold concerts at the Bandshell in Daytona. In 1987,

Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Late ...

The Fixx The Fixx are a rock band from London, England, founded in 1979. The band's hits include " One Thing Leads to Another", " Saved by Zero", " Are We Ourselves?", and " Secret Separation", each of which charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot ...

, and

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...

are among the acts to have played at the venue as part of the events.

Images

Image:DaytonaBeach-Clocktower.jpg, The Daytona Beach Clocktower

References

External links

Daytona Beach Bandshell
- official site

a
National Register of Historic Places

Daytona Beach Bandshell
a
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

Friends of the Daytona Beach Bandshell
{{Music venues of Florida National Register of Historic Places in Volusia County, Florida Buildings and structures completed in 1937 Buildings and structures in Daytona Beach, Florida Music venues in Florida Tourist attractions in Daytona Beach, Florida Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Works Progress Administration in Florida Amphitheaters on the National Register of Historic Places