The Hippodrome, formerly known as the McElroy Auditorium, is a 5,155 permanent seat multipurpose arena located in Waterloo, Iowa. The auditorium was built in 1919 and renovated in 1936, when the roof was raised, floor was excavated and additional seating was added. The arena was named in honor of R. J. McElroy beginning around 1965, after the Waterloo broadcaster and philanthropist unexpectedly died. In 2018, the name of the venue was officially changed back to The Hippodrome.

Arena Design

The auditorium has been in continuous operation since 1919, making it one of the oldest arenas in the country. The arena contains 234 classic arena style box seats and a art deco lobby. With chairs placed on the arena floor, the arena holds up to 7,000 seated for concerts depending on stage configuration. There are four large concession areas and a 150-seat restaurant. For concerts, remote beverage stations are added along with an old milk truck that has been restored into a "hot rod" style beer truck with 8 tappers. There are 6 large modern dressing rooms and 5 large box office windows.

Usage

National Cattle Congress

The arena style auditorium, part of the

National Cattle Congress The National Cattle Congress is an annual agricultural event held in Waterloo, Iowa. It was first held in 1910. McElroy Auditorium and the Electric Park Ballroom are located on the National Cattle Congress grounds. History Unlike other events ...

complex, is used for trade shows, concerts, conventions, livestock shows, rodeos, meetings, sporting events and more.

Sports

It housed the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks from their inception in 1962 until

Young Arena Young Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Waterloo, Iowa, United States, and was built in 1994. It is home to the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League, the Waterloo Warriors of the Midwest High School Hockey League, t ...

opened in 1994 and the Iowa Stars

Central Professional Hockey League The Central Professional Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated in the United States from 1963 to 1984. Named the Central Hockey League for the 1968–69 season and forward, it was owned and operated by the Natio ...

during the 1969-70 season. It also hosted the

Waterloo Hawks The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the current Big Four Leagues. Franchise history ...

of the NBL,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, and NPBL from 1948 to 1951. The Hippodrome will host the to-be-named team of The Arena League, planned to begin play in 2024.

As a concert venue

The roof design and construction materials along with the room design make the venue well-suited for concerts acoustically. It has hosted a variety of acts such as Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, Red Skelton, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, KISS, Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Destiny's Child, Jason Aldean, Roy Clark, Rob Zombie, Disturbed, Dierks Bentley, Nelly and Gym Class Heroes among many others in the past years.

Photo gallery

Image:33547 452174109426 608209426 5233417 7030874 n.jpg, A view from the rear of the auditorium looking towards the stage Image:40125 452174069426 608209426 5233416 178563 n.jpg, A view from the stage looking towards the rear

References

External links

National Cattle Congress

NCC Facebook Page
{{Coord, 42, 30, 35, N, 92, 22, 25, W, type:landmark, display=title Indoor arenas in Iowa Convention centers in Iowa Sports venues in Iowa Buildings and structures in Waterloo, Iowa National Basketball League (United States) venues Former National Basketball Association venues Waterloo Hawks Tourist attractions in Black Hawk County, Iowa 1919 establishments in Iowa Sports venues completed in 1919 Event venues established in 1919 Basketball venues in Iowa Rodeo venues in the United States