TCU Place, formerly known as the Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium, is a convention and arts centre in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. Situated in the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...

it is located next to Midtown Plaza. The Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium was opened April 1, 1968, and was designed by Kerr Cullingworth Riches Associates. Its first performance was a performance of Orff's

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreveren ...

by the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. It was named in honour of Canada's recently completed centennial celebrations. It was part of a major redevelopment of Saskatoon's downtown following the closure of its CNR station; the project also saw the construction of the Midtown Plaza mall. In 2006 the centre underwent major renovation with funding from TCU Financial Group, giving it naming rights for 10 years as TCU Place Arts & Convention Centre. In 2013, TCU renewed the naming rights until 2026. The Sid Buckwold Theatre, located within TCU Place is a 2,003 seat performing arts theatre. The theatre is home to the

Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is a professional orchestra based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan administered by the non-profit Saskatoon Symphony Society. The orchestra was founded in 1927 as an amateur orchestra, but today has 10 core member ...

and aside from hosting major arts performances and conventions, the venue alternates with Regina's Conexus Arts Centre as host of the Telemiracle telethons.

Future

A 2018 study recommended the construction of a new arena and convention centre in the downtown area to replace TCU Place and SaskTel Centre. Both venues were stated to be "quickly approaching their end-of-useful life" and not meeting standards in comparison to venues in equivalent markets, with TCU Place in particular " allingbehind current industry standards for flexible/adaptable spaces, acoustics, exhibit spaces, kitchen service, and typical convention requirements".

References

External links

* Convention centres in Canada Buildings and structures in Saskatoon Music venues in Saskatchewan Theatres in Saskatchewan {{Canada-struct-stub