Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is a historic building in the middle of downtown Shreveport, Louisiana. Since it was built in 1929, it has been a center for music and entertainment in the area. It is one of the city’s most famous buildings and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Samuel G. Wiener and Eugene W. Stern, who also made the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, were the architects who made the auditorium. With its clean lines and bold geometric shapes, the building is a great example of Art Deco style. It’s a two-story brick building with a curved front and a tower in the middle that sticks up higher than the rest of the building.
The auditorium cost $400,000 to build. The money came from the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was set up by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to create jobs during the Great Depression. It was meant to be a place that could be used for many different kinds of events, like concerts, plays, and political rallies.
Over the years, a wide range of events and performers have taken place at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. In the beginning, it was a popular place for big bands and jazz music. Artists like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie played there. It was also the site of political rallies, including one where Huey Long, a controversial politician from Louisiana who was governor and senator in the 1930s, gave a speech.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the auditorium was known as a place where rock and roll music was born. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard were among the famous musicians who played there. In fact, Presley made his radio debut on the Louisiana Hayride, a popular country music radio show that was broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium.
The Louisiana Hayride was an important event in the history of the auditorium. From 1948 to 1960, it was a radio show that showed off the skills of country music artists from Louisiana and other parts of the South. It was broadcast live from the auditorium on Saturday nights and was very popular, with a lot of people watching in person and listening on the radio.
Many well-known country music artists got their start on the Louisiana Hayride, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Kitty Wells. The show also helped Shreveport become an important center for country music that could compete with Nashville and other Southern cities.
The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is still an important place for arts and culture in the area. It has been brought back to its former beauty, and many of its Art Deco features have been kept. It has room for 3,200 people and hosts many different kinds of events, like concerts, plays, and community gatherings.
One of the auditorium’s most significant recent events was the 60th-anniversary celebration of Elvis Presley’s appearance on the Louisiana Hayride. Many well-known musicians played at the event in October 2014, including Ronnie McDowell, who sang many of Elvis Presley’s hits. The party was a great way to honor Elvis Presley’s legacy and the important role that the auditorium played in his early career.
The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is a popular place for tourists and people who are interested in history to go. It has guided tours that show visitors some of the interesting history and architecture of the place. The tours include a visit to the backstage area, where visitors can see the dressing rooms used by famous performers over the years.
In conclusion, the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is a famous and historic building that has been a big part of the cultural history of the area.