Broadway Auditorium is a former multipurpose arena in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. It was part of a complex that first opened as Broadway Arsenal in 1858 to accommodate the 65th and 74th Regiments of the

New York National Guard New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

. The facility was expanded in 1884 with the addition of a

drill hall A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practise and perform military drills. Description In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, ...

and administration building to become the Sixty-Fifth Regiment Armory. The armory was decommissioned in 1907, and the City of Buffalo opened the vacant

as Broadway Auditorium in 1913. Broadway Auditorium was home to the

Buffalo Majors The Buffalo Majors were a professional ice hockey team in the city of Buffalo, New York. The team played two seasons in the American Hockey Association. The team was organized in 1930 by Lawrence F. Welch, owner of the Buffalo Amusement Company. ...

( AHA), Buffalo Bowmans (IPLL),

Canisius Golden Griffins The Canisius University Golden Griffins are composed of 16 teams representing Canisius University in intercollegiate athletics. These teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, track, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming and diving. Men ...

(

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

) and Buffalo Bisons ( NBL). It hosted notable events including the Six Days of Buffalo (1910–1940), NBA Tournament (1911),

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

National Tournament (1914, 1921, 1925 and 1931), NYSPHSAA Basketball Championship (1927), and the World Championship Series (1931–1939).

Jimmy Slattery James Edward Slattery (August 25, 1904 in Buffalo, New York – August 30, 1960) was an American professional boxer in the light heavyweight (175 lb) division. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, Buffalo Vetera ...

fought at the venue 73 times in his

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

boxing career, highlighted by his 1930 win over Lou Scozza to become

NYSAC The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, ...

Light Heavyweight Champion. After closing in 1940, the complex was used as

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

for the 712th

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

Battalion during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The former auditorium began serving as

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

storage facility Broadway Garage (known

colloquially Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation am ...

as Broadway Barns) after the arsenal was demolished in 1948. Following renovations slated to begin in 2024, the building will reopen as a

sports complex A sports complex is a group of sports facilities. For example, there are track and field stadiums, football stadiums, baseball stadiums, swimming pools, Olympic Parks, and indoor arenas. Asia * Azadi Sport Complex * Cebu City Sports Com ...

History

Planning and construction

Broadway

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

was designed by architect Calvin N. Otis and constructed in 1858. The $45,000 facility was funded by

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

to accommodate the 65th and 74th Regiments of the

. The Niagaras of Buffalo, a

baseball team Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play beginning when a player on the fielding team, called ...

playing in the

National Association of Base Ball Players The National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) was the first organization governing American baseball (spelled as two words in the 19th century). The first convention of 16 New York City area clubs was held at Smith's Hotel, 462 Broome ...

, began using the arsenal grounds as a practice field in 1865. The 74th Regiment moved to Virginia Street Armory in 1868. New York State funded the facility's conversion to the Sixty-Fifth Regiment Armory in 1884, adding a

and administration building at a cost of $25,025.75.

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

George J. Metzker of the 65th Regiment designed and oversaw construction of both the drill hall and administration building. President-elect

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

dedicated the new drill hall during a ceremony on January 13, 1885. The armory was decommissioned on February 1, 1907, when the 65th Regiment moved to newly built Masten Avenue Armory.

Opening and reception

The City of Buffalo acquired the former armory in 1908 and began using the

for public gatherings.

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North ...

had rejected a proposal to reopen the facility as Technical High School in favor of using it as a

convention hall Convention Hall was a convention center in Kansas City, Missouri that hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and 1928 Republican National Convention. Construction, burning, and reconstruction It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and b ...

. The city formally opened the drill hall portion of the complex as Broadway Auditorium on May 19, 1913. Dedication festivities lasted several days, and included a speech by New York Governor

William Sulzer William Sulzer (March 18, 1863 – November 6, 1941), nicknamed Plain Bill, was an American lawyer and politician. He was the 39th governor of New York serving for 10 months in 1913, and a long-serving U.S. representative from the same state. Su ...

and concert performance by

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

Charles Morati. A

soft opening A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it wid ...

had commenced in 1912 while the building underwent $64,000 in renovations, which included the addition of a lighted

marquee Marquee may refer to: * Marquee (overhang), a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building * Marquee (structure), a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel, theater, casino, train station, or similar building. * Pole marquee ...

bleacher Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports-fields and at other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step enabling access to a ...

seating, and a stage that could accommodate

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

orchestras. Robert J. Reidpath designed the building's new roof, which added

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows for lighting and ventilation. William F. Felton, who had constructed many of the buildings for the

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a world's fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park–Front Park System, Delaware Park, extending ...

, completed the

masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...

work.

Alterations

The venue was host to the Six Days of Buffalo series of

six-day racing Six-day cycling is a track cycling event that takes place over six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to many regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initiall ...

events between 1910 and 1940. Champions of the event included future

United States Bicycling Hall of Fame The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private 501c3 non-profit organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling. The organization was founded in 1986 in Somerville, New Jersey and has induct ...

members Reggie McNamara (1915) and Cecil Yates (1939 and 1940). Future

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

members

Doug Peden James Douglas Peden (April 18, 1916 – April 11, 2005) was a Canadian basketball player who competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Peden was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1979

and

William Peden William "Torchy" Peden (16 April 1906 – 26 January 1980) was a Canadian cyclist. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955 and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1966. Biography As a youth, Peden was a natural athlete, particip ...

teamed to win the event in 1937. The building was home to the

of the American Hockey Association in 1931. The team featured future

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

member Moose Goheen, and would move to

Peace Bridge Arena Peace Bridge Arena was the main sports arena located in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Built in 1928, it held 5,000 people. It was located near the Peace Bridge connecting Fort Erie with Buffalo, New York. Both the Chicago Black Hawks and Pittsbur ...

the following season. The venue was home to the Buffalo Bowmans of the Indoor Professional Lacrosse League in 1932. The Bowmans were the first

box lacrosse Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in the 1930s in Canada, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's officia ...

team in the United States, and featured future

Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame The Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame is a Canadian lacrosse hall of fame, located in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The Hall was chartered in 1965 by the Canadian Lacrosse Association, and inducted its first class of hall of famers in ...

member Harry Smith. Smith would later find fame as an actor, using the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Jay Silverheels. Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee

Ross Powless Alexander "Ross" Powless (September 29, 1926 – May 26, 2003) was a Mohawk Nation, Mohawk lacrosse player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation near Brantford, Ontario. Broadly, Ross was positioned as an ambassador for lacrosse an ...

recounted during a speech how Smith acquired the nickname "Silverheels" while playing for the Buffalo Bowmans: Renovations were carried out by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

in 1936 to make the venue more suitable as a

. The $115,000 project included the installation of gallery seating, and a wooden floor that could accommodate

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. The

men's basketball team of the

called the venue home from 1936 to 1939. The venue was home to the Buffalo Bisons of the National Basketball League for the 1937–1938 season. The team featured future

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

member

Al Cervi Alfred Nicholas Cervi (February 12, 1917 – November 9, 2009) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball League (NBL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). One of the strongest backcourt players o ...

Closing

In 1940, the venue was rendered obsolete by the newly built

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball, Canisius Golden Griffins (Nationa ...

. The vacant complex was recommissioned in support of

for the 712th

Battalion. This came after a 1941 proposal for converting the auditorium to

Defense Homes Corporation The Defense Homes Corporation was created on October 23, 1940 to finance housing for war industry workers, and existed through 1942.

housing for

Semet-Solvay Company The Solvay Process Company was an American chemical manufacturer that specialized in the manufacture of Sodium carbonate, soda ash. A major employer in Central New York, the company was key in the origin of the village of Solvay, New York, where ...

workers was rejected by Republican politicians and local business leaders, as the housing would not have maintained

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

. An accidental fire heavily damaged the original arsenal building on August 30, 1948, while it was undergoing renovations. The arsenal was then demolished so that garage doors could be added to the auditorium for accommodation of

vehicles. The only surviving feature of the arsenal remains its original concrete

portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...

that connected it to the rear of the auditorium. Architecture that made up the exterior of the auditorium, including its original

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, was encapsulated behind yellow colored

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

as part of the $1,400,000 project. The building was renamed Broadway Garage in 1948 when the City of Buffalo began using it for

storage.

Reopening

Competing interests often discussed either demolishing or restoring the facility. The building was nearly condemned by the

New York State Department of Labor The New York State Department of Labor (DOL or NYSDOL) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government that enforces United States labor law, labor law and administers unemployment benefits. The mission of the N ...

in 2001. In 2022, the City of Buffalo placed the 5.3 acre property out to bid for private redevelopment. It was announced in 2023 that the former auditorium would be renovated into a year-round

, with a

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

and

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...

constructed on the former arsenal grounds. The former auditorium is recognized as the world's oldest surviving structure that has hosted

professional ice hockey Professional ice hockey (hockey) is the competition of ice hockey in which participants are paid to play. Professional competition began in North America in the United States—in Pennsylvania and Michigan—and in Canada around 1900. Professiona ...

, and has been targeted for

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

. Preservation Buffalo Niagara has a pending application with the City of Buffalo for the site to be declared a local landmark within the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor. Nearby landmarks in the Willert Park neighborhood including the Colored Musicians Club,

Michigan Street Baptist Church Macedonia Baptist Church, more commonly known as Michigan Street Baptist Church, is a historic African American Baptist Church (building), church located at Buffalo, New York, Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is a brick church constructed in ...

and Rev. J. Edward Nash Sr. House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Notable events

Bowling

The venue hosted the 5th Annual National Bowling Association Tournament in March 1911, which was won by Joseph West who defeated 1,451 other competitors. Mayor Louis P. Fuhrmann rolled the Ceremonial First Ball to open the event. The venue hosted the 14th Annual

American Bowling Congress The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States of America, United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress—the original codifier ...

National Tournament in March 1914, which was won by Larry Sutton who defeated 450 other competitors. The venue hosted the 21st Annual

National Tournament in March 1921, which was won by Fred Smith who defeated 940 other competitors. The venue hosted the 25th Annual

National Tournament in March 1925, which was won by Al Green who defeated 2,200 other competitors. The venue hosted the 31st Annual

National Tournament in March 1931, which was won by Walter Lachowski who defeated 2.639 other competitors.

Boxing

NBA World Heavyweight Champion

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. One of the most iconic athl ...

defeated Jimmy Darcy in a 4-round

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

exhibition at the venue on July 24, 1922, to win the inaugural NYSAC Heavyweight Title. Rocky Kansas defeated

Jimmy Goodrich Jimmy Goodrich became the Undisputed World Lightweight Champion when he defeated Chilean boxer Stanislaus Loayza in a second round TKO at Queensboro Stadium in Queens, New York on July 13, 1925. He retained the title only five months, losing it ...

at the venue on December 7, 1925, lasting 15 rounds to become World Lightweight Champion by

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...

before a crowd of 12,000. George Godfrey defeated

Larry Gains Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Gains (12 December 1900 – 26 July 1983) was a Black Canadian heavyweight boxer who was champion of Canada and the British Empire. One of the top heavyweights of his era, he was denied the opportunity to become World Cha ...

by corner stoppage at the venue on November 8, 1926, to win the vacant

World Colored Heavyweight Championship The World Colored Heavyweight Championship was a title awarded to African-American, black boxers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This was the only recognized heavyweight championship available to black boxers prior to Jack Joh ...

defeated Lou Scozza by

majority decision A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (at ...

during a February 10, 1930

card at the venue, lasting 15 rounds to win the vacant

Light Heavyweight Title. The contest drew 11,000 fans and is considered Buffalo's Greatest Fight of the 20th Century. Future World Heavyweight Champion

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

defeated Young Stanley Ketchel by knockout in a

exhibition at the venue on January 11, 1937.

Bob Pastor Bob Pastor (January 26, 1914 – January 26, 1996) born Robert E. Pasternak, was a prominent American boxer. He was a top-ranked heavyweight of the 1940s who once challenged for the world title, losing to Joe Louis in 1939. Professional boxing c ...

defeated Charley Eagle by

in the venue's final event on June 28, 1940. The bout had been scheduled for Civic Stadium, but was moved to the auditorium due to cold weather.

Concerts

The venue featured concerts by acts including

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...

Jimmie Lunceford James Melvin Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era. Early life Lunceford was born on a farm in the Evergreen community, west of the Tombigbee River, near Fulton, ...

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith ( Robinson; May 26, 1891 – August or September 16, 1946) was an American singer. As a vaudeville singer, she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues history as the first African-American a ...

, Nina Morgana,

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American Jazz bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 193 ...

and

Sistine Chapel Choir The Sistine Chapel Choir, as it is generally called in English, or officially the Coro della Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina in Italian, is the Pope's personal choir. It performs at papal functions in the Sistine Chapel and in any other chur ...

. Free concerts featuring local acts such as the

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it ...

were regularly held on Sundays. The venue was host to the annual Lew Horschel

Barn Dance A barn dance is any kind of dance involving traditional or folk music with Folk dance, traditional dancing, occasionally held in a barn, but, these days, much more likely to be in any suitable building. The term “barn dance” is usually ...

, a themed gala to benefit local charities that transformed the auditorium into a rural village. Horschel was the resident

concessionaire A concession or concession agreement is a grant of rights, land, property, or facility by a government, local authority, corporation, individual or other legal entity. Public services such as water supply may be operated as a concession. In the ...

for Broadway Auditorium and other local entities including

Erie County Fair The Erie County Fair is a fair held in Hamburg in Erie County, New York, every August. Based on 2018 attendance statistics, The Erie County Fair is the second largest fair in New York and the fourth largest county fair in North America, often dr ...

High school

The inaugural Interscholastic Indoor Championship, a multisport competition between local high schools, was staged at the venue on March 28, 1919. ''Buffalo Enquirer'' sponsored the event, and Hutchinson High School was awarded the Enquirer Cup for their victory. The venue was host to the NYSPHSAA Basketball Championship on March 26, 1927, that saw Yonkers Middle High School defeat Elmira Free Academy 26–24 to win the state title.

Hockey

The

won their inaugural game at the venue on January 25, 1931, by defeating the Duluth Hornets 3–2 in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

before 7,000 fans. It was the first professional hockey game played in the city, and Mayor Charles E. Roesch dropped the

ceremonial first puck The ceremonial first puck is a longstanding ritual of ice hockey in which a guest of honor drops a Puck (sports), puck to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Like baseball's ceremonial first pitch, this first puck does ...

Political

Adolph von Steinwehr Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr (September 25, 1822 – February 25, 1877) was a German-Brunswick army officer who emigrated to the United States, became a geographer, cartographer, and author, and served as a Union general i ...

lay in state Lying in state is the tradition in which the body of a deceased official, such as a head of state, is placed in a state building, either outside or inside a coffin, to allow the public to pay their respects. It traditionally takes place in a m ...

within the arsenal after he died while visiting Buffalo in 1877. Governor

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

spoke before a crowd of 13,000 at the venue on October 22, 1908, as part of his reelection campaign for the 1908 New York state election.

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

spoke at the venue on October 30, 1908, as part of his campaign for the

1908 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 1908. Republican Party (United States), Republican Party nominee William Howard Taft defeated threetime Democratic Party (United States), D ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

spoke before a crowd of 7,000 at the venue on November 1, 1910, in support of the gubernatorial candidacy of

Henry L. Stimson Henry Lewis Stimson (September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950) was an American statesman, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and Demo ...

for the

1910 New York state election The 1910 New York state election was held on November 8, 1910, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer, the state engineer and two judges of th ...

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

spoke at the venue on September 2, 1912, as part of his campaign for the

1912 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 1912. The History of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic ticket of governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey and governor Thomas R. M ...

Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five-time candidate of the Socialist Party o ...

spoke before a crowd of 6,000 at the venue on October 22, 1912, as part of his campaign for the

Charles Seymour Whitman Charles Seymour Whitman (September 29, 1868March 29, 1947) was an American lawyer who served as the 41st governor of New York from January 1, 1915, to December 31, 1918. An attorney and politician, he also served as a delegate from New York to th ...

spoke at the venue on October 24, 1914, as part of his gubernatorial campaign for the 1914 New York state election. Governor Martin H. Glynn spoke before a crowd of 7,000 at the venue on October 27, 1914, as part of his reelection campaign for the 1914 New York state election. Governor

spoke at the venue as an invited guest of the Buffalo Industrial Show on September 22, 1915. Charles Evans Hughes spoke before a crowd of 10,000 at the venue on September 30, 1916, as part of his campaign for the 1916 United States presidential election. William Joseph Donovan cph

President Woodrow Wilson spoke before a crowd of 13,000 at the venue on November 1, 1916, as part of his reelection campaign for the 1916 United States presidential election. President Woodrow Wilson spoke at the venue as an invited guest of the 37th-annual

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual ...

convention on November 12, 1917.

James M. Cox James Middleton Cox (March 31, 1870 July 15, 1957) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th and 48th governor of Ohio, and a two-term U.S. Representative from Ohio. As the Democratic nominee for President of the Unite ...

spoke before a crowd of 12,000 at the venue on October 18, 1920, as part of his campaign for the

1920 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 2, 1920. The Republican ticket of senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio and governor Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts defeated the Democratic ticket of governor James M. Cox of ...

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

spoke at the venue on October 21, 1920, as part of his campaign for the

. Governor

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...

spoke before a crowd of 8,000 at the venue on October 23, 1920, as part of his reelection campaign for the 1920 New York state election.

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

spoke before a crowd of 8,000 at the venue on December 22, 1920, as part of his tour of America.

John W. Davis John William Davis (April 13, 1873 – March 24, 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served under President Woodrow Wilson as the Solicitor General of the United States and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom ...

spoke before a crowd of 7,500 at the venue on October 8, 1924, as part of his campaign for the

1924 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 1924. The Republican ticket of incumbent President Calvin Coolidge and Director of the Bureau of the Budget Charles Dawes defeated the Democratic ticket of John Davis and ...

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Theodore Roosevelt III ( ; September 13, 1887 – July 12, 1944), often known as Theodore Jr.,Morris, Edmund (1979). ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt''. index.While it was President Theodore Roosevelt who was legally named Theodore Roosevelt Jr ...

spoke at the venue on October 15, 1924, as part of his gubernatorial campaign for the

1924 New York state election The 1924 New York state election was held on November 4, 1924, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer and the state engineer, as well as all m ...

William J. Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to ...

accepted the Republican nomination for governor at the venue on May 9, 1932, to launch his campaign for the

1932 New York state election The 1932 New York state election was held on November 8, 1932, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the chief judge, a U.S. Senator and two U.S. Representatives-at-large, as well as al ...

Professional wrestling

Tom Jenkins defeated

Dan McLeod Dan McLeod (born 1943) is a Canadian writer and journalist. He is one of the founders and the former owner, publisher, and editor of the influential weekly newspaper, ''The Georgia Straight'' in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dan was born ...

at the venue on April 3, 1903, to capture the

American Heavyweight Championship The American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship was the first heavyweight professional wrestling championship in the United States. The title existed from 1881 through approximately 1922. Title history See also *Professional wrestling in the ...

Steve Casey Stephen Casey (4 December 1908 – 10 January 1987) was an Irish sport rower and world champion professional wrestler. He was the second Irish wrestler, after Danno O'Mahoney, to become a world champion. Rowing Casey was the eldest of seven ...

defeated

Ed Don George Edward Nye "Ed Don" George Jr. (June 3, 1905 – September 18, 1985) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, and wrestling promoter. A former Olympic freestyle wrestler, George competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and turned ...

at the venue on November 3, 1939, to capture the

AWA World Heavyweight Championship The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight C ...

before a crowd of 4,906.

Tennis

Suzanne Lenglen Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (; 24 May 1899 – 4 July 1938) was a French tennis player. She was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926, winning eight Grand Slam titles in singles and twenty-one in total. She was also a four-time World ...

defeated

Mary Browne Mary Kendall Browne (June 3, 1891 – August 19, 1971) was an American professional tennis player and an amateur golfer. She was born in Ventura County, California. Biography According to A. Wallis Myers of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''D ...

by scores of 6–2, 6–2 and

Vincent Richards Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player. He was active in the early decades of the 20th century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 as an amateur in 1924 b ...

defeated Paul Féret by scores of 6–4, 6–4 at the venue on October 26, 1926, as part of the Suzanne Lenglen North American Tour.

Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. He was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional by Ra ...

defeated

Karel Koželuh Karel Koželuh (; ; 7 March 1895 – 27 April 1950) was a Czech tennis, association football, and ice hockey player of the 1920s and 1930s. Koželuh became a European ice hockey champion in 1925 and was one of the top-ranked players on the prof ...

at the venue in 1931 as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 8–6, 6–3, 6–4. Bill Tilden defeated

Hans Nüsslein Hans "Hanne" Nüsslein (; 31 March 1910 – 28 June 1991) was a German tennis player and coach and former World professional number 1 tennis player who won four professional Majors singles titles during his career. Biography Nüsslein was bo ...

at the venue on February 26, 1932, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–4, 6–4.

Ellsworth Vines Henry Ellsworth Vines Jr. (September 28, 1911 – March 17, 1994) was an American tennis champion of the 1930s, the World No. 1 player or the co-No. 1 in 1932 as an amateur, and in 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937 as a professional. He won three Grand ...

defeated

at the venue on April 1, 1934, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 8–10, 6–3, 11–9. Ellsworth Vines defeated

Lester Stoefen Lester Rollo Stoefen (March 30, 1911 – February 8, 1970) was an American tennis player of the 1930s. Career Stoefen, partnering with compatriot George Lott, won three Grand Slam doubles titles: 1934 Wimbledon Championships, 1933 and 1934 U.S ...

by scores of 8–6, 8–6 and

tied

George Lott George Martin Lott (October 16, 1906 – December 3, 1991) was an American tennis player and tennis coach who was born in Springfield, Illinois. Lott is mostly remembered as being one of the great doubles players of all time. He won the U.S. titl ...

with scores of 7–9, 6–3 at the venue on January 23, 1935, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour. The match between Tilden and Lott was ended prematurely so both competitors could catch their

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former World number 1 male tennis player rankings, world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors, including eight Grand Slam (tennis), ...

defeated

at the venue on January 20, 1937, before a crowd of 8,167 as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–4, 6–8, 6–2. Perry led the series 4 matches to 3 at the end of the night. Fred Perry defeated

at the venue on April 27, 1938, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–2, 1–6, 8–6. Vines led the series 35 matches to 27 at the end of the night.

Don Budge John Donald Budge (June 13, 1915 – January 26, 2000) was an American tennis player. He is most famous as the first tennis player — male or female — to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year and complete the Grand Slam. Budge was ...

defeated

at the venue on January 20, 1939, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 8–6, 1–6, 6–4. Budge led the series 9 matches to 4 at the end of the night. Don Budge defeated

at the venue on May 1, 1939, as part of their World Championship Series tennis tour by scores of 6–1, 2–6, 6–2. Budge led the series 21 matches to 8 at the end of the night.

References

External links

Broadway Auditorium
at

BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profess ...