Albuquerque Civic Auditorium was an indoor arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It opened in 1957, and was demolished in 1986. It was notable for its innovative construction, as the dome was created by done the changes pouring concrete over a mound of packed earth that was subsequently removed. The auditorium was located east of Downtown on Grand Avenue (now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.), between St. Joseph Hospital and Interstate 25. It opened in 1957 and had a capacity of 6,000 people.

History

The Albuquerque Civic Auditorium was designed by the Albuquerque firm of Ferguson, Stevens and Associates in 1955. Architects Gordon Ferguson and Donald Stevens came up with the idea of using an earthen mound as a form for the poured-in-place concrete dome. An existing hill on the site was built up and shaped to the proper dimensions, followed by a ten-day concrete pour. The earth was then excavated from under the dome to create the arena space. The finished dome was high, in diameter, and varied in thickness from at the center to at the edges. The innovative construction technique garnered a mention in ''

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'' and was also praised by

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

during a lecture at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

in 1956. The venue opened on April 27, 1957, with a performance by the Albuquerque Civic Symphony.Venue information and background
/ref> Over the years the venue hosted a number of notable acts, including

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

in 1969 and Jimi Hendrix in 1970, just three months before his death. It was also the home venue of the University of Albuquerque Dons basketball team from 1963 to 1969. However, the auditorium had poor acoustics and eventually fell from popularity as a music venue in favor of

Tingley Coliseum Tingley Coliseum is an 11,571-seat multi-purpose arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally built as a rodeo and horse show auditorium, it is located at 300 San Pedro Drive N.E. It was home to the Albuquerque Six-Guns and New Mexico Scorpions ...

and Popejoy Hall. It was demolished in 1986.

References

{{Coord, 35, 05, 15, N, 106, 38, 14, W, display=title 1987 disestablishments in New Mexico 1957 establishments in New Mexico Demolished music venues in the United States Music venues in New Mexico Basketball venues in New Mexico Defunct indoor arenas in the United States Indoor arenas in New Mexico Sports venues completed in 1957 Sports venues demolished in 1986 Sports venues in Albuquerque, New Mexico Defunct sports venues in New Mexico Demolished sports venues in the United States Demolished buildings and structures in New Mexico