Image source: https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/2746
Constructed with money donated to the memory of Edward Gaskill Flanagan, a former member of the Board of Trustees, this u-shaped amphitheater featured terraced cement seating and a capacity of approximately 800. Shakespeare’s Macbeth was the first performance of many until the 1970s. It was used for auditions and as a student quiet area until it was replaced by the newly constructed West End Dining Hall in 2004.
- Other names
- Amphitheater
- Built
- 1956
- Razed
- 2004
- Construction cost
- $10,000
- Architects
- John B. Lippard, Charlotte, NC
- Namesake
- Edward Gaskill Flanagan (1875-1942), a Greenville native, was a member of the ECTC Board of Trustees and chairman of the ECTC Building Committee. He inherited the Flanagan Buggy Company from his father, served in the North Carolina General Assembly and was president of the Guarantee Bank & Trust Company.
- History
- The amphitheater was built with $10,000 donated by Mrs. Rosa H. Flanagan in memory of her husband. It was an open air theatre located on the western campus. The theatre was made from concrete and brick in a U-shaped design. It had cement terrace type seating for 800 and the stage was 35 feet by 45 feet. The theatre was dedicated on May 10, 1956 and the dedication program included a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
The last time that the amphitheater was used for a performance was in the 1970’s when a band named The Association came to campus to play. It had been used for play auditions since then but not much else. Other than that it has been a quiet place for students to study and a place for students to sun. In 1997, the announcement that the Theatre was going to be done away with to made room for a new dining hall was made public. In 2004 the West End Dining Hall was erected on the site.
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