MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — The fight over the future of the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater is moving to a courtroom.
A hearing is scheduled for Monday afternoon in the case that pits preservationists against the administration of the western New York education and arts retreat.
A group called the Committee to Preserve the Historic Chautauqua Amphitheater and five property owners filed a lawsuit Jan. 22 seeking to block the institution's plans to demolish and rebuild the 122-year-old amphitheater.
A judge issued a temporary restraining order last week.
Administrators say the project is needed to improve access and add needed upgrades. Opponents say there are other ways to accomplish those goals.
Countless historic figures have taken the open-air theater's stage, including Amelia Earhart, Ella Fitzgerald and Robert Kennedy.
