During the 1911 Chautauqua season, a hail storm brought down a portion of the main tent.  This act prompted the call for a steel framed auditorium.  The proposed cost was $6000.  Captain Greeley's gift of $1000 made fundraising easier, and on August 15, 1912, the new auditorium, seating 3000 was dedicated.  The structure was called the W.M. Greeley Auditorium.  The next year a permanent 75 by 30 foot dining hall was added on the grounds south of the auditorium.

After the last Chautauqua season in 1926, the building was moved to south of the Lincoln Way and Grand Avenue intersection for use as the Ames High School fieldhouse.  The former Chautauqua grounds were then acquired by the City of Ames for an addition to the municipal cemetery.