The structure, which was never considered finished, was designed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri.

The venue's wing-like, organic shapes emerge from a bowl-shaped depression in the high desert floor.

[2] Seating only about 650, the small theater hosted notable North American performers including Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Widespread Panic, Phish, and Leonard Cohen[citation needed] In later years, in the absence of the establishment of the educational courses for which it was intended, an inclusive Native Performance and Expressive Arts training program, theater operations became unprofitable.

[4] Because the amphitheater is managed by the nineteen Native American Pueblos of New Mexico, it is not protected by state or local preservation laws.

[5] No schedule for the structure's demolition has been set and a "Save the Soleri Amphitheatre" initiative on the part of Santa Fe Indian School alumni has inspired a movement to preserve the unique building.