Funded by patron of the arts, Mary Louise Curtis Bok, the amphitheater and library today remain much as they were when completed by Fletcher Steele in 1931. In 1996 a major addition to the library was made, the majority of it being underground. Outwardly, the addition has had essentially no visual impact on the landscaping as it was originally designed. In 1997 a major restoration project was undertaken in an effort to reverse damage and deterioration caused by weather and time. As well, any inappropriate plantings that had been added through the years were removed and replaced with materials specified in the original design.
Below are some highlights of the Landmark, while further below is a more in depth description of the site.
NHL Significance:
• The amphitheater represents the creative genius of Fletcher Steele, one of the nation’s premier practitioners of twentieth-century landscape design.
• A forerunner of American modernism by one of the movement’s early and most influential proponents, Steele’s design celebrates the use of the bent axis and abstracted forms of vegetation within the framework of the largely traditional architectural form of
the outdoor theater.
• One of Steele’s few public projects, the amphitheater is a highly successful and outstanding early twentieth-century example of the classical amphitheater form adapted for contemporary popular use at a time when interests in civic improvement, cultural arts, and outdoor recreation were beginning to coalesce nationwide.
Integrity:
• In 1997, the grounds of the Camden Amphitheatre and Public Library were restored to preserve the original Fletcher Steele design as it was carried out between 1928 and 1931. The project included the removal of inappropriate plants and the replacement of missing or dying plant material with species identified in Steele’s planting plan or appropriate substitute materials.
• In 1996, an underground addition was constructed beneath the south lawn of the library building. When the original retaining wall and lawn were reestablished, a street-level entrance and the outdoor Children’s Reading Plaza were added along Atlantic Avenue, and a free-standing glazed pavilion intended to serve as a skylight was placed upon the south lawn. Otherwise, there have been no significant changes to the property. All structures are in excellent condition and receive regular routine maintenance.
• In November 2005, the Camden Public Library was awarded a Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation Preservation Fund grant of $50,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the preservation of the Fauns Garden.
• Additional minor changes include the recent construction of a four-car parking area north of the library (most of Steele’s original plantings were retained); the relocation of the State of Maine seal to the Camden Historical Society’s Conway House to ensure its
preservation; and the 2007 installation of a stone and bronze compass on the lawn terrace of the Fauns Garden. Designed by Steele, the compass remained unfinished when Steele’s work for the library trustees ended in 1931; today it lies in one of the two locations originally contemplated by Steele.
From the National Historic Landmarks Program