The Municipal Auditorium is a 7,853-seat multi-purpose

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 spectators ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, and a component of the New Orleans Cultural Center, alongside the

Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts The Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts is a theater located in Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was named after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was born in New Orleans. The theater reopened in January 2009, after ...

. It is located in the

Tremé Tremé ( ) is a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Tremé" is often rendered as Treme, and the neighborhood is sometimes called by its more formal French name, Faubourg Tremé; it is listed in the New Orleans City Planning Districts as Trem ...

neighborhood in

Louis Armstrong Park Louis Armstrong Park is a park located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street from the French Quarter. In the 1960s a controversial urban renewal project leveled a substantial portion of the Tremé neig ...

adjacent to

Congo Square Congo Square (french: Place Congo) is an open space, now within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The square is famous for its ...

History

The auditorium opened on May 30, 1930. It was designed by Favrot and Livaudais Architects, and constructed by contractor George A. Caldwell. It has hosted many concerts and events, perhaps being best known as the site of many of the

New Orleans Mardi Gras The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of lent in the Western ...

krewe A krewe (pronounced "crew") is a social organization that puts on a parade or ball for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations ar ...

balls. On August 24, 1956, Joe Brown defeated Wallace “Bud” Smith to win the lightweight title in a fifteen-round split decision. It hosted the

New Orleans Buccaneers The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before an ...

of the American Basketball Association during the 1969–70 season. It also hosted the New Orleans Jazz

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 ...

team, during its inaugural 1974–1975 season, before the team moved to the

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

. The arena was also home ice to the minor-league hockey franchise, the

New Orleans Brass The New Orleans Brass were a hockey team in the ECHL from 1997 to 2002. The team was at one time affiliated with the San Jose Sharks. Home games were played first at the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium (until October 29, 1999) and then at the ...

, from 1997 to 1999, before they moved into the

New Orleans Arena Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as SKC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to Caesars Superdome. The arena opened in 1999 as New Orleans Arena a ...

. It has also hosted LHSAA

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and

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 or ...

matches. The venue was a temporary

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

before the new

Harrah's New Orleans Harrah's New Orleans is a casino in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, near the foot of Canal Street a block away from the Mississippi River. It is a casino with approximately 2,100 slot machines, over 90 table games and a poker room. The ...

building on Canal Street was opened. In August 2005 the auditorium suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina and associated flooding (''see:''

Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans As the center of Hurricane Katrina passed southeast of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, winds downtown were in the Category 1 range with frequent intense gusts. The storm surge caused approximately 23 breaches in the drainage canal and navi ...

). Future usage of the arena is currently uncertain.

Gallery

Image:Municipal Auditorium (New Orleans) - Congo Square.jpg, Municipal Auditorium – Congo Square Image:Municipal Auditorium (New Orleans) - Entrance.jpg, Municipal Auditorium – Congo Square Entrance Image:Municipal Auditorium (New Orleans) - Basin Street Entrance.jpg, Municipal Auditorium – Basin Street Entrance Image:MunicipalAuditoriaumFromBasinStStation16Sept2008.jpg, Municipal Auditorium – Basin Street

References

External links

American Basketball Association venues Basketball venues in New Orleans Boxing venues in New Orleans Convention centers in Louisiana Defunct boxing venues in the United States Defunct sports venues in New Orleans Defunct indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Former National Basketball Association venues Indoor arenas in New Orleans Music venues in Louisiana New Orleans Brass arenas New Orleans Buccaneers venues New Orleans Jazz venues Sports venues completed in 1930 Theatres in New Orleans Wrestling venues in New Orleans 1930 establishments in Louisiana {{NewOrleans-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links