Auditorium Facts

The most impressive structure in Ocean Grove, and the center of activity since 1894, is
The Great Auditorium. Let us now show you history in the making!

The First Auditorium was a "Preachers Stand" surmounted by a cupola in which was a small bell. It was capable of seating 75 ministers. The congregation sat on pine planks placed on trusses. It provided no shade or protection from rain even though it was in a grove of trees.

The Second Auditorium, a 75' x 100' frame structure covered with tree boughs, was built in 1875. It provided shade, but even days after it rained the boughs continued to drip on the congregation.

A permanent roof was added in 1876. This Third Auditorium, a graceful, open-air structure, could seat 3,000 worshipers in relative comfort.

The congregation grew over the years and the Auditorium overflowed with worshipers. In 1891, Dr. Ellwood H. Stokes, then president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, proposed that a new building, capable of seating 10,000, be erected to celebrate the Silver Anniversary of Ocean Grove.

Ground was broken for the existing Great Auditorium on December 2, 1893, and work was completed in time for the Camp Meeting in 1894.

In 1907 the front of the Great Auditorium was extended to make room for the Hope-Jones pipe organ. Installed in 1908, it was then one of the largest in the world. The total cost was $26,000, half of which was donated by the Hope-Jones Company. A little known fact is that Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) was a member of the Hope-Jones Board of Directors at this time.

The organ has since been rebuilt and modernized. The Great Auditorium's free organ concerts on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons throughout the summer continue to draw enthusiastic listeners.

In 1988 the original roof of corrugated steel was replaced with stainless steel at a cost of over $850,000. With the support of the state of New Jersey and contributions from loyal friends and supporters, the roof was paid for by its completion date.

The Great Auditorium is almost the size of a football field. It continues to be used for Sunday services during the summer and serves as a showcase for the world's great preachers and evangelists. Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, Gypsy Smith and Norman Vincent Peale are among the well known personalities who have addressed the congregation.