Broadway Auditorium is a former multipurpose arena in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. It was part of a complex that first opened as Broadway Arsenal in 1858 to accommodate the 65th and 74th Regiments of the New York National Guard. The facility was expanded in 1884 with the addition of a

drill hall A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practise and perform military drills. Description In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, ...

and administration building to become the Sixty-Fifth Regiment Armory. The

armory Armory or armoury may mean: * An arsenal, a military or civilian location for the storage of arms and ammunition Places *National Guard Armory, in the United States and Canada, a training place for National Guard or other part-time or regular mili ...

was decommissioned in 1907, and the City of Buffalo opened the vacant

as Broadway Auditorium in 1913. Broadway Auditorium was home to the Buffalo Majors ( AHA), Buffalo Bowmans (IPLL),

Canisius Golden Griffins The Canisius College Golden Griffins are composed of 16 teams representing Canisius College in intercollegiate athletics. These teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, track, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming and diving. Men's spo ...

(

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

) and Buffalo Bisons ( NBL). It hosted notable events including the

Six Days of Buffalo The Six Days of Buffalo was a six-day racing, six-day cycling event, held in Buffalo, New York. From 1910 to 1948, a total of sixteen editions of the Six Days were held, sometimes two per year. Originally held at Broadway Auditorium, the events ...

(1910–1940), NBA Tournament (1911),

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

National Tournament (1914, 1921, 1925 and 1931), NYSPHSAA Basketball Championship (1927), and the World Championship Series (1931–1939).

Jimmy Slattery James Edward Slattery (August 25, 1904 in Buffalo, New York – August 30, 1960) was an American professional boxer in the light heavyweight (175 lb) division. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, Buffalo Veter ...

fought at the venue 73 times in his Hall of Fame boxing career, highlighted by his 1930 win over Lou Scozza to become

NYSAC The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, ...

Light Heavyweight Champion. After closing in 1940, the building was used as barracks for the 712th

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

Battalion during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It has served as the Broadway Garage

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...

storage facility for the City of Buffalo since 1948. The former auditorium is recognized as the world's oldest surviving structure that has hosted

professional ice hockey Professional ice hockey (hockey) is the competition of ice hockey in which participants are paid to play. Professional competition began in North America in the United States in Pennsylvania and Michigan and in Canada around 1900. Professional ice ...

, and has been targeted for

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

History

Planning and construction

Broadway Arsenal was designed by architect Calvin N. Otis and constructed in 1858. The $45,000 facility was funded by

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

to accommodate the 65th and 74th Regiments of the New York National Guard. The Niagaras of Buffalo, a baseball team playing in the

National Association of Base Ball Players The National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) was the first organization governing American baseball. (The sport was spelled with two words in the 19th century.) The first convention of sixteen New York City area clubs in 1857 effecti ...

, began using the arsenal grounds as a practice field in 1865. The 74th Regiment moved to Virginia Street Armory in 1868. New York State funded the facility's conversion to the Sixty-Fifth Regiment Armory in 1884, adding a

and administration building at a cost of $25,025.75. President-elect

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

dedicated the new drill hall during a ceremony on January 13, 1885. The armory was decommissioned on February 1, 1907, when the 65th Regiment moved to newly built Masten Avenue Armory.

Opening and reception

The City of Buffalo acquired the former armory in 1908 and began using the

for public gatherings.

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, Nort ...

had rejected a proposal to reopen the facility as Technical High School in favor of using it as a

convention hall Convention Hall was a convention center in Kansas City, Missouri that hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and 1928 Republican National Convention. It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and built at the corner of 13th and Central and cos ...

. The city formally opened the drill hall portion of the complex as Broadway Auditorium on May 19, 1913. Dedication festivities lasted several days, and included a speech by New York Governor

William Sulzer William Sulzer (March 18, 1863 – November 6, 1941) was an American lawyer and politician, nicknamed Plain Bill Sulzer. He was the 39th Governor of New York and a long-serving congressman from the same state. Sulzer was the first, and to date ...

and concert performance by

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

Charles Morati. A

soft opening A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it widely ...

had commenced in 1912 while the building underwent $64,000 in renovations, which included the addition of a lighted marquee,

bleacher Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a ro ...

seating, and a stage that could accommodate

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

orchestras. William F. Felton, who had constructed many of the buildings for the

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...

, completed the work.

Alterations

The venue was host to the

series of

six-day racing Six-day cycling is a track cycling event that competes over six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to many regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initially, ...

events between 1910 and 1940. Champions of the event included future

United States Bicycling Hall of Fame The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private 501c3 non-profit organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling. The organization was founded in 1986 in Somerville, New Jersey and has inducte ...

members Reggie McNamara (1915) and

Cecil Yates Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...

(1939 and 1940). Future Canada's Sports Hall of Fame members Doug Peden and William Peden teamed to win the event in 1937. The building was home to the Buffalo Majors of the American Hockey Association in 1931. The team featured future Hockey Hall of Fame member Moose Goheen, and would move to

Peace Bridge Arena Peace Bridge Arena was the main sports arena located in Fort Erie, Ontario. Built in 1928, it held 5,000 people. It was located near the Peace Bridge connecting Fort Erie with Buffalo, New York. Both the Chicago Black Hawks and Pittsburgh Pira ...

the following season. The venue was home to the Buffalo Bowmans of the Indoor Professional Lacrosse League in 1932. The Bowmans were the first

box lacrosse Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada in the 1930s, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's officia ...

team in the United States, and featured future Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame member Harry Smith. Smith would later find fame as an actor using the stage name Jay Silverheels. Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee

Ross Powless Alexander (Ross) Powless (September 29, 1926 – May 26, 2003) was a Mohawk lacrosse player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation near Brantford, Ontario. Broadly, Ross was positioned as an ambassador for lacrosse and for native pe ...

recounted during a speech how Smith acquired the nickname "Silverheels" while playing for the Buffalo Bowmans: Renovations were carried out by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

in 1936 to make the venue more suitable as a

. The $115,000 project included the installation of gallery seating, and a wooden floor that could accommodate

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. The

men's basketball team of the

called the venue home from 1936 to 1939. The venue was home to the Buffalo Bisons of the National Basketball League for the 1937–1938 season. The team featured future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Al Cervi.

Closing and future

In 1940, the venue was rendered obsolete by the newly built

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA), the Buffalo Bisons ( AHL), the Buffalo Bis ...

. The vacant complex was recommissioned in support of

as barracks for the 712th

Battalion. This came after a 1941 proposal for converting the auditorium to

Defense Homes Corporation The Defense Homes Corporation was created on October 23, 1940 to finance housing for war industry workers, and existed through 1942.

housing for Semet-Solvay Company workers was rejected by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politicians and local business leaders, as the housing would not have maintained

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

. The original arsenal building was heavily damaged by an accidental fire on August 30, 1948, while undergoing renovations. The arsenal was then demolished so that garage doors could be added to the auditorium for accommodation of

vehicles. The arsenal's only surviving feature remains its original concrete

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

that connected it to the rear of the auditorium. The architecture that made up the exterior of the auditorium was encapsuled behind yellow colored brick. The renovated building was renamed Broadway Garage and remains used for

storage by the City of Buffalo to this day. Competing interests have discussed either demolishing or restoring the facility in recent years. The building was nearly

condemned Condemned or The Condemned may refer to: Legal * Persons awaiting execution * A condemned property, or condemned building, by a local authority, usually for public health or safety reasons * A condemned property seized by power of eminent domain ...

by the

New York State Department of Labor The New York State Department of Labor (DOL or NYSDOL) is the department of the New York state government that enforces labor law and administers unemployment benefits. The mission of the New York State Department of Labor is to protect workers ...

in 2001. Nearby landmarks in the Willert Park neighborhood including the Colored Musicians Club,

Michigan Street Baptist Church Macedonia Baptist Church, more commonly known as Michigan Street Baptist Church, is a historic African American Baptist church located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is a brick church constructed in 1845. Samuel H. Davis was the congr ...

and Rev. J. Edward Nash Sr. House have already been incorporated into the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor and added to 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 ...

. On May 2, 2022, the city of Buffalo announced that the Auditorium would be placed up for bids to redevelop the building, with the public works department set to be moved to a newly constructed facility.

Notable events

Bowling

The venue hosted the 5th Annual National Bowling Association Tournament in March 1911, which was won by Joseph West who defeated 1,451 other competitors. Mayor Louis P. Fuhrmann rolled the Ceremonial First Ball to open the event. The venue hosted the 14th Annual American Bowling Congress National Tournament in March 1914, which was won by Larry Sutton who defeated 450 other competitors. The venue hosted the 21st Annual American Bowling Congress National Tournament in March 1921, which was won by Fred Smith who defeated 940 other competitors. The venue hosted the 25th Annual American Bowling Congress National Tournament in March 1925, which was won by Al Green who defeated 2,200 other competitors. The venue hosted the 31st Annual American Bowling Congress National Tournament in March 1931, which was won by Walter Lachowski who defeated 2.639 other competitors.

Boxing

NBA World Heavyweight Champion

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...

defeated Jimmy Darcy in a 4-round

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

exhibition at the venue on July 24, 1922, to win the inaugural NYSAC Heavyweight Title. Rocky Kansas defeated

Jimmy Goodrich Jimmy Goodrich became the World Lightweight Champion when he defeated Chilean boxer Stanislaus Loayza in a second round TKO at Queensboro Stadium in Queens, New York on July 13, 1925. He retained the title only five months, losing it by unanimous ...

at the venue on December 7, 1925, lasting 15 rounds to become World Lightweight Champion by

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...

before a crowd of 12,000. George Godfrey defeated

Larry Gains Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Gains (12 December 1900 – 26 July 1983) was a Black Canadian heavyweight boxer who was champion of Canada and the British Empire. One of the top heavyweights of his era, he was denied the opportunity to become World Ch ...

by corner stoppage at the venue on November 8, 1926, to win the vacant World Colored Heavyweight Championship.

defeated Lou Scozza by

majority decision A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on whi ...

during a February 10, 1930

card at the venue, lasting 15 rounds to win the vacant

Light Heavyweight Title. The contest drew 11,000 fans and is considered Buffalo's Greatest Fight of the 20th Century. Future World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis defeated Young Stanley Ketchel by knockout in a

exhibition at the venue on January 11, 1937.

Bob Pastor Bob Pastor (January 26, 1914 – January 26, 1996) born Robert E. Pasternak, was a prominent American boxer. He was a top-ranked heavyweight of the 1940s who once challenged for the world title, losing to Joe Louis in 1939. Professional boxing ...

defeated Charley Eagle by

in the venue's final event on June 28, 1940. The bout had been scheduled for Civic Stadium, but was moved to the auditorium due to cold weather.

Concerts

The venue featured concerts by acts including

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

, Cab Calloway,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, Enrico Caruso,

Jimmie Lunceford James Melvin Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era. Early life Lunceford was born on a farm in the Evergreen community, west of the Tombigbee River, near Fulton, Mi ...

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues histor ...

Nina Morgana Nina Morgana (November 15, 1891 – July 8, 1986) was an American soprano, a protégée of Enrico Caruso, who sang with the Metropolitan Opera for fifteen seasons, from 1920 to 1935. She was of Italian descent. Early life Nina Morgana was born ...

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

and

Sistine Chapel Choir The Sistine Chapel Choir, as it is generally called in English, or officially the Coro della Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina in Italian, is the Pope's personal choir. It performs at papal functions in the Sistine Chapel and in any other churc ...

. Free concerts featuring local acts such as the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra were regularly held on Sundays. The venue was host to the annual Lew Horschel Barn Dance, a themed gala to benefit local charities that transformed the auditorium into a rural village. Horschel was the resident

concessionaire A concession or concession agreement is a grant of rights, land or property by a government, local authority, corporation, individual or other legal entity. Public services such as water supply may be operated as a concession. In the case of a p ...

for Broadway Auditorium and other local entities including

Erie County Fair The Erie County Fair is a fair held in Hamburg in Erie County, New York every August. Based on 2018 attendance statistics, The Erie County Fair is the second largest fair in New York and the fourth largest county fair in North America, often dra ...

High school

The inaugural Interscholastic Indoor Championship, a multisport competition between local high schools, was staged at the venue on March 28, 1919. ''Buffalo Enquirer'' sponsored the event, and Hutchinson High School was awarded the Enquirer Cup for their victory. The venue was host to the NYSPHSAA Basketball Championship on March 26, 1927, that saw Yonkers Middle High School defeat

Elmira Free Academy Ernie Davis Academy, formerly Elmira Free Academy, is the junior high school in Elmira, New York, United States. In September 2014 it merged with Southside High School (now Elmira High School). It has 855 students in grades 7–8 with a student- ...

26–24 to win the state title.

Hockey

The Buffalo Majors won their inaugural game at the venue on January 25, 1931, by defeating the Duluth Hornets 3–2 in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

before 7,000 fans. It was the first professional hockey game played in the city, and Mayor Charles E. Roesch dropped the ceremonial first puck.

Political

Adolph von Steinwehr Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr (September 25, 1822 – February 25, 1877) was a German-Brunswick army officer who emigrated to the United States, became a geographer, cartographer, and author, and served as a Union general ...

laid in state within the arsenal after he died while visiting Buffalo in 1877. Governor

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American statesman, politician and jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the ...

spoke before a crowd of 13,000 at the venue on October 22, 1908, as part of his reelection campaign for the 1908 New York state election.

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

spoke at the venue on October 30, 1908, as part of his campaign for the

1908 United States presidential election The 1908 United States presidential election was the 31st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1908. Secretary of War and Republican Party nominee William Howard Taft defeated three-time Democratic nominee William Je ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

spoke before a crowd of 7,000 at the venue on November 1, 1910, in support of the gubernatorial candidacy of

Henry L. Stimson Henry Lewis Stimson (September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950) was an American statesman, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and D ...

for the

1910 New York state election The 1910 New York state election was held on November 8, 1910, to elect the Governor of New York, governor, the Lieutenant Governor of New York, lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State of New York, Secretary of State, the New York State Compt ...

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

spoke at the venue on September 2, 1912, as part of his campaign for the 1912 United States presidential election.

Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate of the Soc ...

spoke before a crowd of 6,000 at the venue on October 22, 1912, as part of his campaign for the 1912 United States presidential election. Charles Seymour Whitman spoke at the venue on October 24, 1914, as part of his gubernatorial campaign for the

1914 New York state election The 1914 New York state election was held on November 3, 1914, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer, a U.S. Senator and ...

. Governor Martin H. Glynn spoke before a crowd of 7,000 at the venue on October 27, 1914, as part of his reelection campaign for the

. Governor Charles Seymour Whitman spoke at the venue as an invited guest of the Buffalo Industrial Show on September 22, 1915. Charles Evans Hughes spoke before a crowd of 10,000 at the venue on September 30, 1916, as part of his campaign for the 1916 United States presidential election. William Joseph Donovan cph

President Woodrow Wilson spoke before a crowd of 13,000 at the venue on November 1, 1916, as part of his reelection campaign for the 1916 United States presidential election. President Woodrow Wilson spoke at the venue as an invited guest of the 37th-annual American Federation of Labor convention on November 12, 1917.

James M. Cox James Middleton Cox (March 31, 1870 July 15, 1957) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th and 48th governor of Ohio, and a two-term U.S. Representative from Ohio. As the Democratic nominee for President of the United S ...

spoke before a crowd of 12,000 at the venue on October 18, 1920, as part of his campaign for the 1920 United States presidential election.

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

spoke at the venue on October 21, 1920, as part of his campaign for the 1920 United States presidential election. Governor Al Smith spoke before a crowd of 8,000 at the venue on October 23, 1920, as part of his reelection campaign for the

1920 New York state election The 1920 New York state election was held on November 2, 1920, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary state, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer, two judges of the New York ...

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...

spoke before a crowd of 8,000 at the venue on December 22, 1920, as part of his tour of America.

John W. Davis John William Davis (April 13, 1873 – March 24, 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served under President Woodrow Wilson as the Solicitor General of the United States and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom ...

spoke before a crowd of 7,500 at the venue on October 8, 1924, as part of his campaign for the

1924 United States presidential election The 1924 United States presidential election was the 35th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 1924. In a three-way contest, incumbent Republican Party (United States), Republican P ...

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Theodore Roosevelt III ( ), often known as Theodore Jr.Morris, Edmund (1979). ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt''. index.While it was President Theodore Roosevelt who was legally named Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the President's fame made it simple ...

spoke at the venue on October 15, 1924, as part of his gubernatorial campaign for the 1924 New York state election.

William J. Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Bur ...

accepted the

nomination for governor at the venue on May 9, 1932, to launch his campaign for the

1932 New York state election The 1932 New York state election was held on November 8, 1932, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the chief judge, a U.S. Senator and two U.S. Representatives-at-large, as well as al ...

Professional wrestling

Tom Jenkins defeated

Dan McLeod Dan McLeod (born 1943) is one of the founders and the former owner, publisher, and editor of the influential weekly newspaper, the ''Georgia Straight'' in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dan was born and raised in Vancouver. He graduated fr ...

at the venue on April 3, 1903, to capture the

American Heavyweight Championship The American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship was the first heavyweight professional wrestling championship in the United States. The title existed from 1881 through approximately 1922. Title history See also *Professional wrestling in the ...

Steve Casey Stephen Casey (4 December 1908 – 10 January 1987) was an Irish sport rower and world champion professional wrestler. He was the second Irish wrestler, after Danno O'Mahoney, to become a world champion. Rowing Casey was the eldest of seven ...

defeated

Ed Don George Edward Nye "Ed Don" George Jr. (June 3, 1905 – September 18, 1985) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, and wrestling promoter. A former Olympic freestyle wrestler, George competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and turned pro ...

at the venue on November 3, 1939, to capture the AWA World Heavyweight Championship before a crowd of 4,906.

Tennis

Suzanne Lenglen defeated

Mary Browne Mary Kendall Browne (June 3, 1891 – August 19, 1971) was an American professional tennis player and an amateur golfer. She was born in Ventura County, California. Biography According to A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mai ...

by scores of 6–2, 6–2 and

Vincent Richards Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player. He was active in the early decades of the 20th century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 as an amateur in 1924 b ...

defeated

Paul Féret Paul Féret (; 27 July 1901 – 3 February 1984) was a French international tennis player in the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Paris, he competed in the Davis Cup two times in 1925. Amateur, to professional, back to amateur Féret was one of the fi ...

by scores of 6–4, 6–4 at the venue on October 26, 1926, as part of the Suzanne Lenglen North American Tour.

Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...

defeated

Karel Koželuh Karel Koželuh (; hu, Kozeluh Károly ; 7 March 1895 – 27 April 1950) was a Czech tennis, association football, and ice hockey player of the 1920s and 1930s. Koželuh became a European ice hockey champion in 1925 and was one of the top-ranked ...

at the venue in 1931 as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 8–6, 6–3, 6–4. Bill Tilden defeated

Hans Nüsslein Hans "Hanne" Nüsslein (; 31 March 1910 – 28 June 1991) was a German tennis player and coach and former World professional number 1 tennis player who won four professional Majors singles titles during his career. Biography Nüsslein was bo ...

at the venue on February 26, 1932, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–4, 6–4. Ellsworth Vines defeated

at the venue on April 1, 1934, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 8–10, 6–3, 11–9. Ellsworth Vines defeated

Lester Stoefen Lester Rollo Stoefen (March 30, 1911 – February 8, 1970) was an American tennis player of the 1930s. Career Stoefen, partnering with compatriot George Lott, won three Grand Slam doubles titles: 1934 Wimbledon Championships, 1933 and 1934 U.S. ...

by scores of 8–6, 8–6 and

tied

George Lott George Martin Lott (October 16, 1906 – December 3, 1991) was an American tennis player and tennis coach who was born in Springfield, Illinois, United States. Lott is mostly remembered as being one of the greatest doubles players of all time. H ...

with scores of 7–9, 6–3 at the venue on January 23, 1935, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour. The match between Tilden and Lott was ended prematurely so both competitors could catch their

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...

defeated Ellsworth Vines at the venue on January 20, 1937, before a crowd of 8,167 as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–4, 6–8, 6–2. Perry led the series 4 matches to 3 at the end of the night. Fred Perry defeated Ellsworth Vines at the venue on April 27, 1938, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–2, 1–6, 8–6. Vines led the series 35 matches to 27 at the end of the night.

Don Budge John Donald Budge (June 13, 1915 – January 26, 2000) was an American tennis player. He is most famous as the first tennis player — male or female, and still the only American male — to win the Grand Slam, and to win all four Grand Slam e ...

defeated Ellsworth Vines at the venue on January 20, 1939, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 8–6, 1–6, 6–4. Budge led the series 9 matches to 4 at the end of the night. Don Budge defeated

at the venue on May 1, 1939, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–1, 2–6, 6–2. Budge led the series 21 matches to 8 at the end of the night.

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