Pershing Center facts for kids
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| Former names | Pershing Auditorium |
|---|---|
| Location | 226 Centennial Mall South Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Coordinates | 40°48′42″N 96°41′55″W / 40.81167°N 96.69861°W |
| Public transit | StarTran |
| Owner | City of Lincoln |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | 4,526 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1955 |
| Opened | March 10, 1957 |
| Closed | August 7, 2014 |
| Construction cost | $1.5 million |
| Tenants | |
| Lincoln Capitols (NIFL) (1999–2006) No Coast Derby Girls (WFTDA) (2005–2014) Lincoln Haymakers (CPIFL) (2013–2014) |
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| Website | |
| (offline) | |
The Pershing Center was a large building in Lincoln, Nebraska, where many different events took place. It had seats for 4,526 people. It used to be called the Pershing Auditorium. Even though the building is still there, it is not used anymore.
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History of the Pershing Center
Lincoln's first big public hall opened on February 12, 1900. It was owned by Lancaster County. Sadly, this building burned down in an accident on April 15, 1928.
By 1931, the city of Lincoln wanted to build a new hall. They decided to name it after General John J. Pershing. This name was chosen based on votes from students. In 1939, people in Lincoln voted to spend $750,000 to build the new hall. More money was approved in 1950, about $1.5 million. Plans for the Pershing Center were approved in 1955. The building officially opened its doors two years later, on March 10, 1957.
Amazing Mural on the Building
The outside of the Pershing Center has a huge ceramic tile picture, called a mural. Artists Leonard Thiessen and Bill J. Hammon designed it. This mural is very big, measuring 38 feet tall and 140 feet wide. It is made of 763,000 tiny one-inch square pieces! When it was built, it was the largest ceramic tile mural in the United States.
Sports and Fun Events
The Pershing Center was home to several sports teams. It hosted the Lincoln Capitols indoor football team. The Lincoln Thunder basketball team also played there. Roller derby fans cheered for the No Coast Derby Girls. In 2013, the Lincoln Haymakers indoor football team played at the center.
The arena was also a popular spot for high school sports championships. It hosted state basketball games for boys and girls. Girls' state volleyball championships were held there too. The Pershing Center was famous for roller-skating championships. It hosted them 28 times, starting in 1962. The very last roller-skating event was in 2014.
Concerts and Other Shows
Many famous events happened at the Pershing Center. It held lots of concerts and wrestling shows. The band The Doors played their first concert there after their singer, Jim Morrison, passed away. This was on November 12, 1971.
The Grateful Dead performed there on February 26, 1973. Their performance was recorded and is part of their live album, Dick's Picks Volume 28. The outside of the arena is even shown in the 1981 movie, This is Elvis. This movie featured one of Elvis Presley's last concerts in 1977. The band Phish also played at the arena in 1995.
A New Arena for Lincoln
Around 2008 and 2009, people started talking about building a new, bigger arena in Lincoln. The Pershing Center was a mid-sized arena. It was becoming too small for many big music tours and events. The general manager of Pershing, Tom Lorenz, said that fewer big shows were coming to the center. Normally, Pershing would have six to eight concerts each year. But at that time, it was only getting three or four.
The city council even had to help cover a money shortage of $150,000. This showed how serious the situation was. A larger arena was built in Lincoln's Haymarket District. It was called Pinnacle Bank Arena and opened in August 2013.
The last major concert at the Pershing Center was by the Goo Goo Dolls. This happened on August 6, 2014. The very last event in the building was a roller derby match. It took place on August 23, 2014. The No Coast Derby Girls played against the Kansas City Roller Warriors. The Kansas City Roller Warriors won that final match.
What Happened Next?
After it closed, the City of Lincoln looked for new ways to use the Pershing Center. But none of the ideas were good enough because they cost too much money. So, the building might be torn down if a new use isn't found. The items inside the Pershing Center were sold off in early 2015.
Many people in the community want to save the large, famous mural on the outside of the building. Moving and putting the mural somewhere else could cost about $1.2 million.
As of 2018, the future of the Pershing Center was still unclear. It was still standing and was mainly used to store things for the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Many groups suggested ideas for its use, but the city government didn't find any of them suitable.
In June 2020, it was announced that the Pershing Center would be torn down. In its place, there would be new apartments and a new library. The future of the big outdoor mural is still unknown. The building is planned to be demolished in 2022.
Images for kids
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The large mural and front entrance of the Pershing Center.
