| Worcester Memorial Auditorium | |
|---|---|
| Address | Lincoln Square |
| City | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Country | United States of America |
| Architect | Lucius W. Briggs[1] |
| Capacity | 3,508[2] |
| Opened | 1933[3] |
| Current use | Massachusetts State Trial Court record storage [3] |
The Worcester Memorial Auditorium, also known simply as the Worcester Auditorium, is a multi-purpose arena and auditorium in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1933, as a World War I War memorial in the form of a multi-purpose hall,[3] the Auditorium has a 116-foot-wide proscenium (35 m) [2], and is located in Lincoln Square. Lincoln Square was recently ranked by Preservation Massachusetts as one of the "Most Endangered Historic Resources" in the state[4] because of the three historical buildings in the square that are all empty or underutilized. Currently the Auditorium is used to house Massachusetts State Trial Court records and a small after-school program.[3]
Built in 1933, the Worcester Auditorium was designed as a World War I War memorial in the form of a multi-purpose hall.[3] The building is built in the Classical Revival style, but with Art Decco bas-relief ornamentation.[5] The interior murals in the Auditorium were created by the artist Leon Kroll,[3] and took three years to complete.[6] When finished the main mural was the largest of its kind in the United States. [7] Since the Auditorium opened, it has been home to the Bay State Bombardiers of the Continental Basketball Association and the Holy Cross Crusaders before the Hart Center opened in 1975. It has also hosted Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue[8] and has served as a shelter after the Worcester tornado hit.[7] There is another small performance space known as the "Little Theater" attached to the Auditorium, which can seat 675 people, but it is currently empty as well.[2]
Many plans have been weighed for the future of the Auditorium. These included a canceled plan for Higgins Armory to move to the Auditorium from its current location, the creation of a Faneuil Hall style marketplace, and even the creation of a research center because of the proximity of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's nearby Gateway Park.[3] One of the largest problems with the Auditorium is that it has a flat, as opposed to a sloped audience floor, which makes it not well suited to be a modern theater.[3] To convert the Auditorium to office space would cost $6.2 million, while converting it to a "museum, memorial or theater", would cost more than $12 million, much of which could be covered by tax credits.[3] While some call for the demolition of the Auditorium, even just a partial one saving the memorial wall and murals, they are a vast minority.[3]