The Rockville Chautauqua Pavilion was built in 1913 by Edgar Jerome (1862–1942) of Rockville, who used wooden bridge-building techniques in timber framing to support the entire structure. It was designed to seat 3,000 people under its roof. Chautauquas were held here from 1911 to 1930, and the largest crowd, estimated at 8,000, gathered in 1915 when former President William H. Taft spoke. Popularized in the late nineteenth century at Chautauqua, New York, chautauquas were significant social and educational events that brought speakers, music, and ideas to towns across the U.S. Repairs were made in 1976–1978 and 1992, and the pavilion was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.