Cyclorama Buildings in the U.S.

Cyclorama buildings are a rapidly disappearing resource in the U.S. This form of entertainment, with a central audience observing a round painting, hit its peak at the turn of the century. Only four historic cyclorama buildings exist; two have been renovated for new uses and two continue to display cyclorama paintings. Only one is in danger of demolition -- Neutra's Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Boston, Massachusetts, 1884. Cummings and Sears for Charles F. Willoughby, a Chicago businessman. On the National Register of Historic Places. Now Boston Center for the Arts. The dome (60' high with a diameter of 127') was the second largest dome in the country at this time after that of the U.S. Capital Building in Washington, D.C. The first home for the painting now housed in Neutra's Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg.

Buffalo, New York, 1888. Architect unknown. A 16-sided polygon. According to the Historic American Buildings Survey, the building has solid brick walls 17" thick. Between 1937-42, the WPA renovated the building. It now houses offices. Photograph courtesy HABS.

Atlanta, Georgia, 1921. John Francis Downing. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cherokee Avenue in Grant Park, Fulton County.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1961. Neutra and Alexander (Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a building of "exceptional importance." Listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of our 100 Most Endangered Places.

Cyclorama Buildings Worldwide

Ste Anne de Beaupre, Quebec, Canada

Cyclorama Buildings Demolished:

Buffalo, New York, 1901. Missionary Ridge Cyclorama, 1901 Pan-American Exposition. The Battle of Missionary Ridge, owned by E. W. McConnell, depicted the final decisive day of the Civil War battle in 1863. The painting was 60 feet high and 308 feet in length.

New Ideas for Cycloramas:

The Favre Era Video Cyclorama The Favre Era Cyclorama is composed of a 360-degree bank of television screens, one television for each game of his career. The configuration of televisions, stacked 16-feet high, creates a large circular space, which surrounds the viewer. The audience ascends a ramp or staircase and enters the Cyclorama through a passageway in the floor. A proposal by Tim Laun.

Re-Use Alternatives for Cyclorama Buildings:

A reading room, Buffalo Cyclorama, NY. Photograph courtesy HABS.

Return of the Cyclorama: A 19th-century idea with a digital twist would immerse viewers in intricately detailed images Wall Street Journal. More information at Clifford Ross.com

Links:

Cyclorama in Buffalo, NY

History of the Cyclorama in Boston by Scripophily.net

This site composed and administered by Christine Madrid French 2004.