Paolo Soleri Amphitheater, Open-air theatre at Santa Fe Indian School, US.
The Paolo Soleri Amphitheater is a curved concrete structure with a thrust stage and seating for around 650 people on the Santa Fe Indian School campus. The building features a sculptural shell-like form that integrates sloped pathways and creates a natural acoustic environment for performances.
The amphitheater was designed and built in 1970 by Italian architect Paolo Soleri using earth-forming construction methods on the campus. It operated for 40 years before closing in 2010 when maintenance became too expensive to sustain.
The venue played an important role in Native American arts education and hosted diverse musical performances that reflected the broader cultural life of Santa Fe. It served as a gathering place where different artistic traditions could be experienced and celebrated together.
The venue is no longer open to the public, though the building remains visible from the school grounds. The structure sits on a private campus, so access and viewing are limited to what can be seen from designated areas.
The structure was built entirely without steel, relying only on concrete and earth-forming techniques, a bold approach for a performance venue. This method reflected Soleri's experimental design philosophy that sought to merge natural forms with human spaces.
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