Omaha Civic Auditorium was a multi-purpose

convention center A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

located in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of

CHI Health Center Omaha CHI Health Center Omaha is an arena and convention center in the central United States, located in the North Downtown neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. Operated by the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA), the facility has an ...

in 2003. With the opening of the Ralston Arena in 2012, all teams that played at the Civic Auditorium moved, which reduced the venue's viability. The auditorium closed its doors in June 2014 and was demolished two years later.

Facilities

Arena

The Civic Auditorium arena seated up to 9,300 for sporting events and up to 10,960 for

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide var ...

s. In the past, the arena was home to the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team, the Creighton women's basketball and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

teams, and the

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

, and the

Kansas City-Omaha Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the olde ...

NBA basketball team. The arena was the site of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

men's basketball tournament title game in 1978. It was also the site of the seventh WWF

In Your House In Your House (known as NXT TakeOver: In Your House in 2020 and 2021 and then NXT In Your House beginning in 2022) is a professional wrestling series of events created by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The events o ...

pay-per-view in 1996.

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

's Nebraska Crusade took place at the arena in 1964.

One of Elvis Presley's final concerts

One of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's final concerts was held at the Civic Auditorium on June 19, 1977. The concert was filmed for a CBS TV special, '' Elvis in Concert''.

"You're no Jack Kennedy"

A notable event at the Civic Auditorium was the 1988 U.S. vice-presidential debate between Democrat

Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who was a four-term United States Senator (1971–1993) from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis t ...

and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Quayle served as a U.S. ...

. The debate produced one of the most famous quotes in American political history. Quayle, then a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, had been a relative political unknown and reporters covering the campaign wondered if he would make a suitable president if something were to have happened to George H. W. Bush, who selected him as his running mate. In response to a question, Quayle pointed out that he had as much experience in the Senate as John F. Kennedy had prior to being elected

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

in 1960. To which, Bentsen, a Senate veteran from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, responded: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

Omaha Civic Auditorium Music Hall

The Omaha Civic Auditorium Music Hall, located on the east side of Omaha Civic Auditorium, was used for concerts, Broadway shows and other events. It seated 2,453 and was known for its intimate yet casual atmosphere.

Exhibit Hall

The Civic Auditorium exhibit hall features 43,400 square feet (4,000 m²) of space for conventions and trade shows.

Mancuso Hall

Mancuso Hall is a large-events venue used for parties, trade shows, concerts, banquets, and conventions, among other events. 25,000 square feet (2300 m²) of space, Mancuso Hall seats 2,500 for concerts and 1,500 for banquets.

Demolition

Demolition of the Civic Auditorium began in August 2016. Nothing remains except bare dirt and grass at the site.

References

{{Authority control Sacramento Kings 1954 establishments in Nebraska Indoor arenas in Nebraska Defunct indoor arenas in the United States Defunct arena football venues Buildings and structures in Omaha, Nebraska Convention centers in Nebraska Creighton Bluejays basketball venues Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Defunct college ice hockey venues in the United States Former National Basketball Association venues Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Defunct indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Indoor soccer venues in the United States Defunct indoor soccer venues in the United States Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights Sports venues in Omaha, Nebraska Theatres in Omaha, Nebraska Sports venues completed in 1954 2014 disestablishments in Nebraska Demolished buildings and structures in Omaha, Nebraska