The Greek Amphitheatre on the campus of Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of historically significant properties.
“The Greek Theatre has been a landmark on our campus for many years,” said Dr. David Rankin, president of SAU. “I always used to use it as an example of the various employment projects created during the Great Depression, and it is great to see it added to the National Register.”
By being placed on the National Register, the University is now eligible to receive grants to help pay for the Greek Theatre’s completion. The steel rods that were to connect the cornice to the base are still exposed. Without the cornice the stage is not in proportion.
The Greek Amphitheatre was a combined effort between the 1936 sophomore class of Magnolia A & M and the Columbia County National Youth Administration participants to leave a lasting memorial to future generations and supporters of the institution.
Though the NYA is credited with the construction and completion of the entire project, in all actuality, the NYA was more involved with the construction and completion of the sidewalks, stairs, and bleachers. The sophomore class should be credited with the design and development of the entire structure itself, and more specifically the orchestra pit and staging area. During the period of construction from 1936 to 1938, approximately 35 NYA members from A & M and Columbia County were involved in bringing anthropology instructor S.D. Dickinson’s vision to fruition.
In an undated letter, Dickinson states, “At least half of the class was working his or her way through college, earning 25 cents an hour under the federal NYA Program.”
Labor was initially donated by Dickinson’s classical history students; surveying and cement work was supervised by engineering students; materials were supplied by Magnolia A & M; and post-1937 labor was provided by Columbia County and A & M NYA employees.
The National Youth Administration was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic relief efforts in the 1930s. Falling under the umbrella of the Works Projects Administration, more than 3.5 million people were employed by various WPA programs. The NYA helped young people squeezed by the depression to get an education by providing work and study for them, and saved many colleges and universities from the ravages of the Depression.
Not showing its age, the Theatre has withstood many years of homecoming activities, student plays, and campus-related ceremonies. A few small patches of cement have been applied during minor repairs over the structure’s 69-year history.