Memorial Hall, or Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, is a multi-purpose auditorium located in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

. The 3,500-seat auditorium, which has a permanent stage, is used for public assemblies, concerts and sporting events. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1985. It was designed by architects

Rose & Peterson Rose & Peterson was an architectural firm in Kansas City, Kansas. It was a partnership of William Warren Rose (1864–1931) and David Burton Peterson (1875–1937). Rose served as mayor of Kansas City during 1905–07, and accomplishe ...

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

style. With .

Establishment

This venue was built in 1923 then opened in 1925 as a combination civic auditorium and war memorial for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

veterans.

Events

Many iconic rock bands in the 1960s and 1970s played here. During its September 11, 1972 concert at Memorial Hall,

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

performed its first Kansas City metro concert and new concept album, ''

The Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of ...

'', five months before the record-setting album's release.

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

recorded parts of their first live album, 1977's '' Live: You Get What You Play For,'' including the album's closing track, "Golden Country," at the venue on October 31, 1976. Side 4 of

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

's 1983 double-LP, '' Plays Live,'' including the songs "Shock the Monkey", "Humdrum", "On the Air", and "Biko", was recorded at Memorial Hall on December 4, 1982. Memorial hall is home to the 15 year WFTDA sanctioned Kansas City Roller Warriors various roller derby teams. KCRW often hosts out of town and international roller derby teams from around the country and globe. The league is made up of 100+ volunteers consisting of KC metro and surrounding residents that volunteer their time, effort and passion to making KCRW a successful organization. Memorial Hall hosted some games of the

Kansas City Steers The Kansas City Steers were an American basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri from 1961 to 1963. They were a member of the American Basketball League History The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, an ...

of the American Basketball League from 1961 to 1963.

Professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

was a Thursday-night tradition at the venue in the 1970s, with cards often taped for the ''

All-Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW) is a British professional wrestling promotion operated by Brian Dixon and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, it has also been known over the years as All Star P ...

'' telecast days later. The

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools Kansas City USD 500, also known as Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, is a public unified school district headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. As of 2021, it has approximately 23,690 students enrolled in the district in grades P ...

district holds an annual convocation for staff at the venue each August. All district staff are present for this event.

References

{{Authority control National Register of Historic Places in Wyandotte County, Kansas Georgian architecture in Kansas Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Kansas Landmarks in Kansas Music venues completed in 1925 Music venues in Kansas Sports venues completed in 1925 Sports venues in Kansas Tourist attractions in Wyandotte County, Kansas Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Kansas City 1925 establishments in Kansas

Establishment

Events

See also

References