The Will Rogers Memorial Center (WRMC) is an American public entertainment, sports and livestock complex located in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

. It is named for American humorist and writer

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

. It is a popular location for the hosting of specialized equestrian and livestock shows, including the annual

Fort Worth Stock Show The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (formally the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show) is the oldest continuously running livestock show and rodeo. It has been held annually in Fort Worth, Texas since 1896, traditionally in mid-January thr ...

, the annual

National Reined Cow Horse Association The National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) is an equestrian organization in Pilot Point, Texas, United States, that began by promoting and staging Working cow horse events. History The National Reined Cow Horse Association (formerly kn ...

Snaffle Bit Futurity, the World Championship Paint Horse Show, and 3 major events of the

National Cutting Horse Association The National Cutting Horse Association (or NCHA) is a non-profit equestrian organization headquartered in the US. Their primary purpose is to promote and sponsor cutting events.Fort Worth Texans The Fort Worth Texans were a professional ice hockey team based in Fort Worth, Texas. They started play in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings, a minor league affiliate for the Detroit Red Wings. They were part of the Central Hockey League and played t ...

ice hockey team, and it hosted a

PBR PBR may refer to: Science and technology * Passive bistatic radar * Partition boot record * Pebble bed reactor, a type of nuclear reactor * Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, another name for translocator protein * Phosphorus bromide * Photobio ...

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(later

Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the elite series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 to 2017. The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002 with the Mohegan Sun Invitational in Uncasville, Connecticut ...

) event annually from 1995 to 2004. Events at the WRMC attract over 2 million visitors annually. The complex contains the following facilities: * Will Rogers Coliseum (5,652 seats) * Will Rogers Auditorium (2,856 seats) * Will Rogers Equestrian Center * Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall * James L. & Eunice West Arena * John Justin Arena * W. R. Watt Arena The Memorial Center was built in 1936 and designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Wyatt C. Hedrick, who employed the Moderne (Art Deco) style. Also in 1936

Amon G. Carter Amon Giles Carter Sr. (born Giles Amon Carter; December 11, 1879 – June 23, 1955) was the creator and publisher of the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'', and a nationally known civic booster for Fort Worth, Texas. A legacy in his will was used t ...

commissioned

Electra Waggoner Biggs Electra Waggoner Biggs (November 8, 1912 – April 23, 2001) was a Texas-born heiress, socialite and sculptor, widely known as owner of the Waggoner Ranch in Texas as well as her sculptures of Will Rogers, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Bob Ho ...

to create the statue '' Riding into the Sunset'', a tribute to Will Rogers and his horse Soapsuds. Over a decade later, in 1947, the work was unveiled at the Center. On March 22, 2016, the complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The

Dickies Arena Dickies Arena is a 14,000-seat multipurpose American arena, located within the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The venue hosted a public ribbon cutting on October 26, 2019. The first event held was a Twenty One Pilots concert on ...

, which opened in November 2019, is located adjacent to the complex. The new 14,000-seat venue will host the Fort Worth Stock Show rodeos, concerts and early-round games in the

2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the ...

; however, Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum will continue to operate as an equestrian arena in Fort Worth.

Gallery

File:Coliseum, Memorial Tower, and Auditorium (20106176).jpg, Postcard of ill RogersColiseum, Memorial

ioneer ioneer Ltd. is a lithium-boron supplier founded in 2001 and headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales. The company states that they are "intent on pioneering the production of materials necessary for a sustainable future." They are developing a Nev ...

Tower and ill RogersAuditorium, undated File:WillRogersColiseumINTERIOR.JPG, Interior of Will Rogers Coliseum, 2016 File:Will Rogers Memorial Center June 2016 21 (Will Rogers Coliseum).jpg, Exterior of Will Rogers Coliseum, 2016

References

External links

Will Rogers Memorial CenterWill Rogers Memorial Center Calendar of Events
*

{{TCU Horned Frogs basketball navbox Art Deco architecture in Texas Equestrian venues in the United States Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Sports venues in Fort Worth, Texas Buildings and structures completed in 1936 TCU Horned Frogs basketball Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Fort Worth, Texas Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas College basketball venues in the United States Basketball venues in Texas Rodeo venues in the United States Cultural depictions of Will Rogers

Gallery

See also

References

External links