Rhode Island Auditorium was an indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

, at 1111 North Main Street. It hosted the NBA's

Providence Steamrollers The Providence Steamrollers were a Basketball Association of America team based in Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2022, the Steamrollers were the last professional sports franchise from one of the Big Four leagues to be based in Rhode Island. ...

from 1946 until 1949, and the

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team until the

Providence Civic Center The Amica Mutual Pavilion (originally Providence Civic Center and formerly Dunkin' Donuts Center) is an indoor arena located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1972, as a home court for the emerging Providence College men's ba ...

(now the Amica Mutual Pavilion) was opened in 1972.

Description and history

The arena held 5,300 people and opened in 1926. Through the years, a myriad of events including the

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Olympic and US National Champion figure skaters who had retired from formal competition. Started in 1940, the Ice Cap ...

, public skating,

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

, concerts, and religious events were held at the old barn. The venue hosted 28 of

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the onl ...

's 49 fights over a 4 year span, from July 12, 1948 (his second fight) to May 12, 1952 (his 41st), just four months before winning the heavyweight title by beating

Jersey Joe Walcott Arnold Raymond Cream (January 31, 1914 – February 25, 1994), best known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1930 to 1953. He held the NYSAC, NBA, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles from 1951 to 1952 ...

in Philadelphia. After the Reds departed for the downtown Civic Center, the Auditorium, for a time, became a

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

venue. At the height of the Great Depression in 1932, the arena faced financial ruin. Industrialist and Rhode Island hockey legend

Malcolm Greene Chace Malcolm Greene Chace (March 12, 1875 – July 16, 1955) was an American financier and textile industrialist who was instrumental in bringing electric power to New England. He was a pioneer of the sport of ice hockey in the United States, and was ...

rescued the auditorium from foreclosure. In 1969, a concert by

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi ...

at the auditorium was followed by a riot. This led mayor Joseph A. Doorley to ban all rock concerts in Providence; the ban only lasted for a few months. It was torn down in 1989 and parking affiliated with The Miriam Hospital now occupies the site. In 2009, the

Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society Rhode may refer to: *In Greek mythology: :*Rhodos, goddess and personification of the island of Rhodes :*Rhode, one of the fifty daughters of Danaus * ''Rhode'' (spider), a genus of spiders *Rhode (surname) *Rhode, County Offaly, an Irish town *Rh ...

, a group formed to commemorate the hockey team, marked the site with a plaque commemorating the team's existence.

Concert dates

References

External links

JPEG Karl Robert Rittmann...Rhode Island Artist – Image of Rhode Island Auditorium
Defunct boxing venues in the United States Defunct basketball venues in the United States Defunct indoor arenas in the United States Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Sports venues in Rhode Island Basketball Association of America venues Basketball venues in Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island Providence Steamrollers Demolished buildings and structures in Rhode Island 1926 establishments in Rhode Island Sports venues completed in 1926 1989 disestablishments in Rhode Island Sports venues demolished in 1989 Demolished sports venues in the United States Indoor arenas in Rhode Island {{ProvidenceRI-struct-stub

Description and history

Concert dates

See also

References

External links