Jump to content

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Roadwolf (talk | contribs) at 05:46, 11 July 2008 (→‎External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Otherplaces2

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Map
LocationBuffalo, New York
OwnerCity of Buffalo
CapacityBasketball: 18,000
Hockey: 16,433
Construction
Broke groundNovember 30, 1939
OpenedOctober 14, 1940
Construction cost$2,700,000
ArchitectWPA
Tenants
Buffalo Bisons (AHL) (1940-1970)
Buffalo Sabres (NHL) (1970-1996)
Buffalo Braves (NBA) (1970-1978)
Buffalo Stallions (MISL) (1979-1984)
Buffalo Blizzard (NPSL) (1992-1996)
Buffalo Stampede (RHI) (1994-1995)

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (also known as The Aud) was an indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. It hosted the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL from 1970-1996, the Buffalo Braves of the NBA from 1970-1978, the Buffalo Stallions of the MISL, the Buffalo Stampede of RHI from 1994 to 1995, the Buffalo Bandits of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, the Buffalo Blizzard of NPSL and the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League from 1940 to 1970. It also held a number an NCAA basketball games, as well as numerous entertainment events, such as Ringling Brothers circus, Disney on Ice, and other things of that nature.

Birth of an Icon

Construction on the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium began on November 30, 1939 and a grand opening celebration was held on October 14, 1940. Built for $2,700,000 the Aud was a WPA project.[1] The arena originally sat 12,280 for ice hockey, with an additional 2,000-3,000 sitting in the floor area for basketball and other events. In addition to sporting events the Aud also hosted concerts by major acts such as The Grateful Dead who performed there five times. [2] Circuses, dog shows and political events all took place at the Aud. [3] The Aud was also set as a war memorial for the Spanish-American war.

Expansion

An $8.7 million renovation took place after the 1970-71 inauguration of the Sabres and Braves franchises. The roof of the old arena was slowly raised, making room for a new upper level. (orange level). This raised the total capacity of the arena to about 18,000 for basketball and 16,433 for hockey, making it a more suitable home for the NBA and NHL.

Closing

The renovations preserved the arena for another two and a half decades, but the Sabres moved out after the 1995-96 season, moving across the street to the Marine Midland Arena (now HSBC Arena). Michael Peca scored the last in-game goal at The Aud while Pat Lafontaine put in a ceremonial goal after the 4-1 win over the Whalers. It was the last arena in which the ice sheet fell short of the league-mandated 200 ft. by 85 ft. size (though Maple Leaf Gardens still had irregularly shaped corners).

In the years since its closing, the building has remained closed to the public although Buffalo's Studio Arena Theatre was at times allowed to use the large floor surface to paint backgrounds for its productions. During the 2001-02 season, Sabres officials and the city of Buffalo entered the building to relocate some items from the main concourse of The Aud to HSBC Arena, including a sign for the "Pour Man's Aud Club" which was re-incarnated by popular demand. During a Cbc television broadcast from the winter classic during the 2007-2008 reglaur season, the inside of The Aud was shown and the video showed that the seating bowl and arena floor have remained virtually untouched. Most notably, the advertisements that were on the boards during the final Sabres home game in 1996 were still present and the scoreboard hanging above center ice remained in the rafters.


The Future

For the last few years plans were in the works to renovate The Aud and re-purpose it as a Bass Pro Shops store, however on March 29, 2007 these plans were officially abandoned. Instead it was announced that Bass Pro will build a new building on the nearby Buffalo waterfront. The Aud is now set for demolition to begin in October 2008. Until then, safety percautions are to be taken. Removing the asbestos, removing things of value and keeping the site disirable. It is expected to cost 10 million dollars and be done by early 2009. [4]

In December, 2007 The Aud was sold by the city of Buffalo to the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation for $1 in hopes that it would move along asbestos removal and demolition. All salvageable items are to be sold, stored, or removed before demolition begins. The sales of these artifacts, especially of seats, will help pay for a memorial to the Aud.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.sabresalumni.com/2001/aud.php3
  2. ^ The SetList Program - Grateful Dead Setlists, Listener Experiences, and Statistics
  3. ^ http://www.sabresalumni.com/2001/aud.php3
  4. ^ http://www.buffalonews.com/101/story/42941.html
  5. ^ "Aud memories many, but old seats are few". Sabres Insider. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
New creation Home of the Buffalo Braves
1970–1978 		Succeeded by
New creation Home of the Buffalo Sabres
1970–1996 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buffalo_Memorial_Auditorium&oldid=224963982"