Denver Auditorium Arena was an indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

located at the corner of 13th and Champa Streets in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. It was constructed as the Denver Municipal Auditorium in 1908 during the administration of Denver Mayor

Robert W. Speer Robert Walter Speer (December 1, 1855 – May 14, 1918) was elected mayor of Denver, Colorado three times. He served two four-year terms in office from 1904 to 1912. He died from Influenza, early on in the worldwide epidemic of that year on M ...

. The building was opened on July 7, 1908, and was the site of the

1908 Democratic National Convention The 1908 Democratic National Convention took place from July 7 to July 10, 1908, at Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Auditorium Arena in Denver, Colorado. The event is widely considered a significant part of Denver's political and social hist ...

. With a capacity of 12,500, the building was at the time of its opening the second largest in America to

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

.Venue information and background
/ref> Initially, the venue was configured and equipped to hold numerous kinds of events including theater, opera, conventions, sporting events, exhibitions, concerts, and more. Renovations were made to the building in the 1940s, and in 1953 the southern half of the building was converted into the Auditorium Arena, a pure sporting venue with

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...

of 6,841.

Tenants

It hosted the ABA's

Denver Rockets Denver () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States#State capital, capital, and List of municipalities in Colorado#, most populous city of th ...

, later the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, from 1967 until they left for

McNichols Sports Arena McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games. Sports use It was ...

in 1975. The Auditorium Arena was an annual host of the Colorado high school state basketball tournament, primarily for the smaller-enrollment classifications. The Auditorium Arena was home to the Denver Comets of the professional

International Volleyball Association The International Volleyball Association was a short lived co-ed professional volleyball league in the United States from 1975 to 1980. Like other major sports leagues in the United States, it had two geographic divisions. However, its teams wer ...

from 1977–1979, and home to the

Denver Racquets Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

World Team Tennis World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973. The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a ...

in 1974, when they won the league championship before moving to

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

for the 1975 season. From 1937 to 1967, it hosted the finals of the AAU basketball championship. On December 26, 1968, the rock group

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

played their first concert in the United States at the Auditorium Arena. In the last several years of its existence, the building was a popular venue for professional wrestling, hosting both AWA and WWF events. In 1990, the Arena portion of the building (built in 1953) was demolished to make room for the Temple Buell Theatre, and in 2005, the Auditorium portion of the building (built in 1907-08) was remodeled into the

Ellie Caulkins Opera House The Ellie Caulkins Opera House is located in Denver, Colorado as part of the large Denver Performing Arts Complex. It seats 2,225. The Caulkins family pledged $7 million towards the enhancement of the lyric opera house and adjacent public spaces ...

References

{{Denver Nuggets American Basketball Association venues Basketball venues in Colorado Sports venues in Denver Denver Nuggets venues Denver Nuggets (1948–1950) Denver Rockets Former music venues in the United States Defunct indoor arenas in the United States Former National Basketball Association venues Demolished sports venues in Colorado Event venues established in 1908 Sports venues completed in 1908 Sports venues demolished in 1990 National Basketball League (United States) venues 1908 establishments in Colorado 1990 disestablishments in Colorado