Memorial Auditorium is one of Raleigh's most historic and valuable assets. The building has hosted governors' inaugurations, Debutantes Balls, conventions, concerts, theater, ballet, graduations, exhibitions, circuses, wrestling matches, operas, revivals, and other public gatherings. North Carolina State University also played basketball in the auditorium for a season while the Wolfpack fans waited on Reynolds Coliseum to be completed. It is currently home to the North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Theatre, and the Carolina Ballet.

Memorial Auditorium has a colorful history that has provided many rich memories for generations of North Carolinians. Its predecessor, The Municipal Building and City Auditorium on Davie Street, was built in 1910 to answer the concerns of legislators who threatened to move the capital to Greensboro unless Raleigh provided a facility that could accommodate Party conventions. The auditorium was expanded in 1913, then burned during the Negro State Fair Marshall's Ball on October 24, 1930.

Construction on the new Memorial Auditorium on South Street, a WPA project, began almost exactly a year after City Auditorium burned. C.V. York rushed to build the hall to keep any further suggestions of moving the capital at bay. It contained facilities capable of providing meals for 1,800 diners and seating for 3,067 spectators, with room for a thousand more temporary seats. It even had a fire station below the stage. The $310,000 hall was reported to be the most expensive Depression-era project in Raleigh. Work was rushed so the state Democratic Party could hold its convention in the unfinished building in June 1932.

Atwood and Weeks designed this Neoclassical building to match the limestone and granite and the style of the state capitol. At that time the two buildings stood at opposite ends of Fayetteville Street, marking the beginning and end of vital the downtown district. It was described as "the most pretentious structure in North Carolina." Buried in a copper box in the building's cornerstone were items characteristic of Raleigh's personality: a sketch of the old Governor's "Palace," a photograph of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate battle flag, a copy of the Old North State song, a current newspaper, and a reproduction of the 1792 William Christmas map of the city.

More than 3,500 people gathered August 14, 1932, to dedicate Memorial Auditorium to the men and women of Raleigh who served in all of the nation's wars. Military officials and politicians hailed the effort, America was sung and speakers lauded the patriotism of veterans. The building was called a "peacetime monument to wartime valor." It instantly became one of the best meeting places in the state. That summer they even held an all-night dance party in the auditorium. Ben Bernie and his orchestra played from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., Cab Calloway and his orchestra from 1 to 6 a.m.

By 1961 this once grand belle had fallen into disrepair. The floor buckled in places and the acoustic tiles were stained from leaking water. The hall was renovated in 1963 and again in 1977. A $10.5 million project completed in 1990 added an acoustically correct rehearsal hall wrapped around the existing stage, office space, and an expanded lobby. People now mingle in a contemporary 42-foot high glass atrium with crystal chandeliers. Limestone Doric columns reflect the Neoclassical style of the exterior. A grand winding staircase leads to the expanded balcony. They gutted the auditorium and added a sloping floor, a new ceiling and proscenium acoustically designed to tune the hall to symphonic music. The stage and sound system were updated to accommodate the North Carolina Theatre. Careful attention was given to preserve the front of the old building.

Renovations begun in the late 1990's brought Memorial Auditorium to the status of a performing arts center. The original building, once described as a temple object surrounded by a parking lot, now extends across the entire site. Architects studied the building's place in the growing city and considered what people held dear about the structure, the stone columns and the grand atrium. They matched the limestone to retain the strength of the original building and extended the glass to maintain the transparency and openness. The expanded Memorial Auditorium complex was named the BTI Center for the Performing Arts after the telecommunications company that contributed $3.1 million to help build performance halls on either side of the auditorium. Memorial Auditorium, a 2277 seat theater features music, dance, comedy, and Broadway touring productions. The Meymandi Concert Hall on the west side of Memorial Auditorium is the home of the North Carolina Symphony. This 1700-seat concert hall provides acoustics designed to enhance live orchestral and choral performances. Fletcher Opera Theater, on the east side of Memorial Auditorium, is 600-seat theater designed for opera, dance, theatrical productions, and the Carolina Ballet. The Kennedy Theater provides flexible performance space for innovative theatrical groups in an expanded area that includes the former rehearsal hall.

Memorial Auditorium has grown with the city of Raleigh to reflect its character and personality. What do you think would be embedded in a copper box in a pillar of the BTI Center for the Performing Arts?

Article includes contributions by Drena Gibbs, NCSU Preservice Teacher

References:

Lindenfeld, Sarah. "This Hallowed Hall." The News & Observer. February 18, 2001. Available in the News and Observer Archives.

Metz Beal, Candy Lee. Raleigh: The First 200 Years. Published under the auspices of the Bicentennial Task Force for the Bicentennial (1792-1992) Celebration with the generous support of Glaxo, Inc. IBM Corp., Branch Banking & Trust, the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, and the cooperation of the Wake County Public School System, 1992.

Perkins, David. Raleigh, A Living History of North Carolina's Capital. The News and Observer, 1994.

Raleigh, A Guide to North Carolina's Capital. Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Inc.,1992.

Raleigh Convention and Conference Center Complex. Available: http://www.raleighconvention.com/

Stolpen, Steven. A Pictorial History of Raleigh. Donning Company Publishers, Inc., 1977.

Waugh, Elizabeth Culbertson. North Carolina's Capital, Raleigh. Junior League of Raleigh, Inc., 1972,