National Register of Historic Places

Summit Playhouse

Summit, Union County, New Jersey
Listed
December 30, 2009
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
09001177

About this property

The Summit Playhouse is a theater in Summit, New Jersey and home to one of the oldest continuously operating amateur community theaters in the United States producing a new show each calendar season. In 2011, it presented Meet Me in St. Louis, Closer Than Ever, and Speed the Plow. The original stone Romanesque building designed by Arthur Bates Jennings was constructed in 1891 as the town's first library. A municipally-operated Summit Public Library was established in 1900, and in 1910 the library was moved to another building, leaving the Romanesque building under-utilized but still belonging to the library. In 1918, The Playhouse Association was founded as a World War I relief organization, and the theatrical group rented the empty older library from the Summit Library Association for one dollar a year for the next fifty years on condition that the group maintain the facility. In 1960, a 120-seat auditorium was added and the original 1891 structure was converted into a stage. The Summit Library Association officially deeded the building to the theater in 1968.

Location

10 New England Ave.
Summit, Union County, New Jersey
40.71701, -74.36465

Categories

EDUCATIONPERFORMING ARTSARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Summit Downtown Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Twin Maples
Industrial
0.8 mi
Wallace Chapel AME Zion Church
Industrial
1.1 mi
The Clearing
Listed
1.1 mi
Sayre Homestead
Industrial
1.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Connecticut Farms (New Jersey)
1780Revolutionary War
2 mi
Battle of Springfield New Jersey
1780Revolutionary War
2 mi
Battle of Connecticut Farms Jun 7 1780
1780Revolutionary War
2.5 mi
Battle of Springfield
1780Revolutionary War
2.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Summit Playhouse listed on the National Register?

Summit Playhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 2009.

What type of historic resource is Summit Playhouse?

Summit Playhouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Summit Playhouse?

The period of significance for Summit Playhouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Summit Playhouse?

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