The Albany Municipal Auditorium is a multi-purpose auditorium located in downtown
Albany, Georgia, U.S. The 965-seat, classic style auditorium includes an orchestra level, as well as first and second balconies and it was listed as "Municipal Auditorium" on the
National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior in 1975. The auditorium is part of a sports, entertainment and convention complex that also includes the
Albany Civic Center and the
Veterans Park Amphitheater.
History
Designed by architect
A. Ten Eyck Brown
Albert Anthony Ten Eyck Brown (1878–1940) was an architect active in Atlanta, Georgia and other areas. Brown was born in Albany, New York. He studied at the New York Academy of Design.
Several of his works are listed on the U.S. National Regi ...
, the Albany Municipal Auditorium was built in 1915 to replace an old wooden auditorium used for
Chautauqua programs. The auditorium was host to many talents of the music world, the stage and television, including an
Irving Berlin musical road show in the 1920s. In the 1950s and 1960s,
telethons
A telethon (a portmanteau of " television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause.
Most telethons ...
were held in the auditorium. These telethons attracted Hollywood stars to Albany, including most of the cast of ''
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...
'', ''
Wagon Train'', ''
The Virginian'' and starlet
Jayne Mansfield. The auditorium was abandoned in 1972 and stood vacant for years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 25, 1974. Restoration of the auditorium started in 1986. In 1990, the Albany Symphony Orchestra reopened the renovated auditorium, performing a Gala Concert with Albany native
Ray Charles.
The Albany Municipal Auditorium is the home of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. The auditorium hosts the
Deerfield-Windsor School's annual all-student Spring Musical, Ballet Theatre South's (formerly Albany Ballet Theater) annual production, the annual Andersonville Theological Seminary
graduation ceremonyCommencement Background Information
/ref> and various concerts and stage plays.
References
External links
AlbanyMunicipalAuditorium.org
Albany Convention & Visitors Bureau
dtownAlbany.com
exploregeorgia.org
Buildings and structures completed in 1915
Buildings and structures in Albany, Georgia
Tourist attractions in Albany, Georgia
A. Ten Eyck Brown buildings
Theatres in Georgia (U.S. state)
National Register of Historic Places in Dougherty County, Georgia
Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
1915 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
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