Sacramento Memorial Auditorium

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Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Address1515 J Street
Sacramento, California
Capacity3,849
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium is located in Sacramento, California
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium is located in California
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium is located in the United States
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Coordinates38°34′44.1″N 121°29′08.5″W / 38.578917°N 121.485694°W / 38.578917; -121.485694
Area2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
Built1926
ArchitectDean & Dean
Architectural stylesouthern European, Early Renaissance revival
NRHP reference No.78000743[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 29, 1978
Website
https://safecreditunionconventioncenter.com/facilities/memorial-auditorium

The Sacramento Memorial Auditorium is a historic auditorium located in Sacramento, California. Completed in 1926, the Auditorium opened in February, 1927.[2] Closed in 1986 due to seismic concerns, the building fell into disrepair, and re-opened in 1996, after renovation, as part of the Sacramento Convention Center Complex.[3] The auditorium houses The Jean Runyon Little Theater and Memorial Hall.[4] The main auditoium seats 3,849, while the Jean Runyon Little Theater seats 272.[4]

The interior of the auditorium during the 2014 California Academic Decathlon

History[edit]

The auditorium was designed by local architect James S. Dean, with Arthur Brown, Jr. as consulting architect and G. Albert Lansburgh as a collaborating architect.[2] The site previously was home to the Mary J. Waters Grammar School, a three-story brick building built in 1872 on land that was donated to the city by John A. Sutter.[2] An unsuccessful suit was brought against the city by one of Sutter's heirs, arguing the land was donated for park and school use only. The auditorium broke ground in July of 1925, presided by Senator Hiram Johnson, a former pupil at the school.[2] The opening of the auditorium was a significant step in the growth of Sacramento and a way to bring famous entertainment, artists and conventions to Sacramento.[2] The auditorium has held the inaguration balls for California governors James Rolph, Frank Merriam, Culbert Olson and Arnold Schwarzenegger.[2][5] During a Rolling Stones show on December 3, 1965, Keith Richards was nearly electrocuted when playing their newly released single, The Last Time.[6]

The auditorium was built of brick primarily from local origin, with stone, plaster, and terra cotta also being used.[2] The architecture design can be described as Byzantine from the 5th and 6th centuries, with design inspirations taken from Italian Romanesque, Lombardic, and Spanish styles as well.[2] The brick wall finish includes five shades of brick and protruding randomly in a Flemish bond. The five double front doors do not have built-in locks since the lobby was originally intended to be an open shrine for those who died in the Spanish-American War and World War I.[2]

Performances[edit]

Music acts that have performed at the auditorium include Will Rogers (1927),[2] The Beach Boys (1963),[7]The Rolling Stones (1964, 1965 & 1966),[6] The Righteous Brothers (1965),[8] Ike & Tina Turner (1965),[8] Sonny & Cher (1965),[9] The Turtles (1967),[10] The 5th Dimension (1967),[11] Grateful Dead (1968),[12] Jefferson Airplane (1968),[13] The Doors (1968),[14] Chicago as Chicago Transit Authority[15] (1969),[16] Eric Burdon & War (1970),[17] Frank Zappa in (1971),[18] Cheech & Chong (1972),[19] Canned Heat (1972),[20] Doobie Brothers (1972),[21] The Eagles (1974),[22] Steppenwolf (1974),[22] Fleetwood Mac (1975),[22] Journey (band) (1977),[22] Sammy Hagar (1977),[23] Toto (1977),[22] Santana (1979),[22] America (1979),[22] Huey Lewis and the News (1979),[22] Go-Go's (1982),[24] Mötley Crüe (1983),[24] Ratt (1984),[24] Night Ranger (1984),[24] Metallica (1985),[24] Dishwalla (1997),[25] John Fogerty (1997), Primus (1997),[26] 311 (1997),[26] Jane's Addiction (1997),[26] Tool (1998), [26]Sacramento's Deftones (1998),[26] Sacramento's Cake (1999),[26] The Offspring (1999),[26] 98 Degrees (1999),[26] Lit (1999),[26] The Wallflowers (2000), System of a Down (2000), Linkin Park (2000), Incubus (2001), No Doubt (2002), Papa Roach (2002), Eve 6 (2003), Audioslave (2005), Avenged Sevenfold (2006), Pat Monahan (of Train) (2007), Stone Temple Pilots (2008), Atreyu (2009), Third Eye Blind (2015), Queens of the Stone Age (2018), Los Lobos (2019), Weird Al Yankovic (2019), and Bob Dylan (2022).[27]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM" (PDF).
  3. ^ Goldman, Ed (2021-01-27). "The Back Story: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium". Cornstock Magazine.
  4. ^ a b "MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM". Visit Sacramento.
  5. ^ Martin, Mark (2007-01-06). "At inauguration, governor praises the central path". SFGate.
  6. ^ a b Davidson, Joe (2023-12-02). "Flashback: 58 years ago, Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards almost died in Sacramento". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05.
  7. ^ "Beach Boys at Memorial Auditorium, 1963". The Sacramento Union. 24 May 1963. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  8. ^ a b "Teen Field Music Stars Slate Show". The Sacramento Bee. 1965-03-25. pp. E12. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  9. ^ "Sonny and Cher Here November 7th!". The Sacramento Union. 1965-10-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  10. ^ "The Turtles at Memorial Auditorium, 1967". The Sacramento Bee. 1967-09-03. p. 87. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  11. ^ "The 5th Dimension at Memorial Auditorium, 1967". The Sacramento Bee. 1967-03-26. p. 144. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  12. ^ "Grateful Dead at the Memorial Auditorium, 1968". The Sacramento Bee. 1968-03-03. p. 179. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  13. ^ "Jefferson Airplane at Memorial Auditorium, 1968". The Sacramento Bee. 1968-05-12. p. 115. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  14. ^ "The Doors at Memorial Auditorium, 1968". Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. 1968-06-15. p. 45. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  15. ^ "A Chicago Story". Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  16. ^ "Chicago at Memorial Auditorium, 1969". The Sacramento Bee. 1969-03-26. p. 55. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  17. ^ "Eric Burdon and War at Memorial Auditorium, 1970". The Sacramento Bee. 1970-02-08. p. 105. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  18. ^ "Frank Zappa at Memorial Auditorium, 1971". The Sacramento Bee. 1971-09-26. p. 112. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  19. ^ "Cheech & Chong at Memorial Auditorium, 1972". The Sacramento Bee. 1972-02-06. p. 103. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  20. ^ "Canned Heat at Memorial Auditorium, 1972". The Sacramento Bee. 1972-04-12. p. 74. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  21. ^ "Doobie Brothers at Memorial Auditorium, 1972". The Sacramento Bee. 1972-10-08. p. 69. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h "SacTV - Sacramento Concert History: 1970s". www.sactv.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  23. ^ "Sacramento Memorial Auditorium". Rock Tour Database. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d e "SacTV - Sacramento Concert History: 1980s". www.sactv.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  25. ^ "The List". Archived from the original on February 7, 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i "SacTV - Sacramento Concert History: 1990s". www.sactv.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  27. ^ "Setlists 2022". Bob Dylan.


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