Sioux City Municipal Auditorium facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Municipal Auditorium
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Auditorium, seen from the southeast; the 2003 arena is in the left background
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 401 Gordon Drive Sioux City, Iowa United States |
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| Architect | Knute E. Westerlind |
| Architectural style | Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000316 |
| Added to NRHP | July 27, 2006 |
The Sioux City Municipal Auditorium, also known as the Long Lines Family Recreation Center, is a large building in Sioux City, Iowa. It's used for many different activities. This building is the fifth major indoor place built in Sioux City for events. It was designed by Knute E. Westerlind in 1938. After many delays, it was finally finished in 1950. When it first opened, it was an arena that could hold up to 3,500 people. In 2003, a new building called the Tyson Events Center was built next to it. The Municipal Auditorium then became a recreation center. Most of its outside look was kept the same, and it still has "Auditorium" written on it.
Contents
History of Sioux City's Event Venues
For a very long time, Native American people lived where the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers meet. They held their ceremonies, shows, and sports events outdoors. They didn't need special buildings for these. In 1830, a treaty made them leave Iowa. Forty years later, new residents built the first of five major indoor places for events in Sioux City, Iowa. These were the Academy of Music (1870), the Peavey Grand Opera House (1888), the Old Municipal Auditorium (1909), this building (finished in 1950), and Gateway Arena (2003).
The Academy of Music: Sioux City's First Big Hall
The Academy of Music was built in 1870. It was located on Fourth Street between Pierce and Douglas Streets. A local architect named H.O. Ball designed it. The building had brick walls and fancy terra cotta decorations. The first floor held the city post office and shops. Upstairs, there was a performance hall with 800 seats.
Since it was the only large hall in the city, many important events happened there. High school graduations, plays, concerts, and speeches took place. Susan B. Anthony, a famous leader for women's right to vote, gave speeches there. The building later became part of a department store. It was torn down in 1910 to make way for a bigger store.
Peavey Grand Opera House: An Elegant Cultural Center
The Peavey Grand Opera House opened in 1888. It was a very elegant place and became the city's main cultural center. The old Academy of Music was no longer big enough. So, people decided to build a new opera house that would also include a new chamber of commerce building.
Architects James W. Martin and Oscar Cobb designed this beautiful building. It had a unique roof and was located at Fourth and Jones Streets. On the first floor, there was a bank and a drug store. The upper floors held offices for businesses and the local weather bureau. The opera hall itself was in the back. It had over 1300 seats and was very fancy. Famous performers like Sarah Bernhardt, a world-renowned actress, and Edwin Booth, a great actor, performed here. After 1909, the hall was not used as much. It eventually became an auto repair garage. The building was destroyed by fire on November 3, 1931.
Old Municipal Auditorium: A Dedicated Performance Hall
The Old Municipal Auditorium of 1909 was built on the southwest corner of Seventh and Douglas Streets. It was designed by architect George W. Burkhead. This was the first building in Sioux City made only for performances. It had a distinct triangular shape above the main entrance and large stones over the doors.
Even though it was built for performances, some people didn't think it was very pretty. One architect magazine called it "an ugly, barn-like structure." From 1955 until 2017, it was home to the television station KCAU-TV.
The Current Municipal Auditorium: A Long Journey to Completion
By the 1930s, the Old Municipal Auditorium was not big enough for Sioux City's needs. So, plans began for a new building, the Sioux City Auditorium. Knute E. Westerlind designed it in 1938. But it took almost 12 years to finish!
In 1938, voters approved money for the project. However, the city waited, hoping to get help from the government. They finally started building in 1941. The basement was dug, but then World War II caused work to stop in 1943 because of material shortages.
Work started again in 1947 after more money was approved. But prices went up, and there were other problems. So, even more money was needed in 1949. The new building ended up costing over $2.7 million. It was officially opened on September 9, 1950.
For more than 50 years, the Auditorium was a busy place. It hosted graduations, concerts, and sports events. The Sioux City Symphony Orchestra performed there. The Sioux City Musketeers ice hockey team played their games there since 1972. Famous people like Elvis Presley, Robert Plant, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, and Van Cliburn appeared on its stage.
In 2001, the Sioux City Symphony moved to the newly fixed Orpheum Theater. In 2003, a new place for big concerts and sports, the Gateway Arena, took its place. The new Events Center was built next to the Municipal Auditorium. Doors were added to connect the two buildings. Parts of the old Auditorium are now used for storage by the Events Center. The dressing rooms are still used by performers at the Events Center.
A group that wanted to save the building's history decided to use it for recreation. They named it the Long Lines Family Recreation Center. It offers many fun things to do. You can find volleyball and basketball courts, a batting cage, and a climbing wall. It also hosts weddings and other events.
Architecture and Design
Knute E. Westerlind designed the building in a style called PWA Moderne. This style was popular in the 1930s when the building was first planned. The Moderne style uses smooth brick walls, rounded corners, and glass block windows. It also has patterns of straight lines and openings that look like they are "cut into the building."
Westerlind also used ideas from Beaux-Arts design. This means he focused on how the building looked as a whole. He paid attention to its balance, how parts matched, and small details. This mix of styles made the building unique.
The building has many interesting details. On the outside, facing north, there are sculptures of Native Americans. On the south side, there are several terra cotta panels. Each panel shows a person doing a sport or playing music. Above the entrances, there are special sayings. The one on the west says, "There is No Greater Conquest Than That of Self." The one on the east says, "Art at Its Highest and Nature at Its Truest are One."
Images for kids
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Auditorium, seen from the southeast; the 2003 arena is in the left background
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The cornerstone at the southeast shows the year completed rather than begun.
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The Auditorium's smooth brick walls, rounded corners, and deeply incised openings typify the Moderne style.
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Terra cotta panel on the Auditorium's south exterior, east of the main entrance
