Print: Riverside Park Bandshell
When I was brainstorming locations for my local Treasures series with some friends, one structure that came up over and over was the Riverside Park band shell.
The band shell was designed by architect Rudolph Zerses Gill, who erected other notable municipal buildings throughout Southern Illinois. Constructed as a WPA project in 1938-39, the band shell became home to Murphysboro’s annual Independence Day celebration. The inaugural concert took place on July 4, 1939, and drew a crowd of 45,000! Pretty impressive for a town of 7,000, don’t you think?
Today the band shell still hosts an opening performance for the town’s Fourth of July celebration, and also holds music festivals for jazz, bluegrass, and blues musicians. It is also utilized as a stage for community events.
The Riverside Park Band Shell was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
When I was brainstorming locations for my local Treasures series with some friends, one structure that came up over and over was the Riverside Park band shell.
The band shell was designed by architect Rudolph Zerses Gill, who erected other notable municipal buildings throughout Southern Illinois. Constructed as a WPA project in 1938-39, the band shell became home to Murphysboro’s annual Independence Day celebration. The inaugural concert took place on July 4, 1939, and drew a crowd of 45,000! Pretty impressive for a town of 7,000, don’t you think?
Today the band shell still hosts an opening performance for the town’s Fourth of July celebration, and also holds music festivals for jazz, bluegrass, and blues musicians. It is also utilized as a stage for community events.
The Riverside Park Band Shell was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
When I was brainstorming locations for my local Treasures series with some friends, one structure that came up over and over was the Riverside Park band shell.
The band shell was designed by architect Rudolph Zerses Gill, who erected other notable municipal buildings throughout Southern Illinois. Constructed as a WPA project in 1938-39, the band shell became home to Murphysboro’s annual Independence Day celebration. The inaugural concert took place on July 4, 1939, and drew a crowd of 45,000! Pretty impressive for a town of 7,000, don’t you think?
Today the band shell still hosts an opening performance for the town’s Fourth of July celebration, and also holds music festivals for jazz, bluegrass, and blues musicians. It is also utilized as a stage for community events.
The Riverside Park Band Shell was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.