History of the Auditorium

TO HONOR THE SERVICES IN WAR OF HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS
​AND TO NOURISH IN PEACE THEIR SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE
​A GRATEFUL CITY ERECTED THIS BUILDING

November 11, 1918. After four brutal years, World War I had come to an end. Of the more than 8.5 million recorded military deaths, 355 were young men and women from Worcester. As life returned to normal, city leaders envisioned a monument honoring these soldiers' sacrifice and the service of all local residents in times of war. So commenced a fifteen-year project to construct the city's first auditorium - a solemn memorial to lives lost and a spirited affirmation of Worcester's vitality.     

Choosing a Location

1918-1929
In 1918, Worcester's leading citizens began a decade-long search for a suitable auditorium site. Initially, they proposed constructing the building, as well as a public library, on the Common. The plans stalled, however, and in 1925 the Common was rejected in favor of the Aud's current location. Four years later, city residents and the Trustees of the Worcester Art Museum raised money to purchase 100,000 square feet of land from the museum at present-day Lincoln Square in order to build the Aud.

Designing the Auditorium

1930-1931
Once a location was secured, designing and constructing the Aud proceeded at a rapid pace. The city held a competition for architects throughout the United States to submit proposals for the building. After narrowing the competitive pool to three finalists - all from Worcester - the selection committee chose local architect Lucius Briggs and his collaborator, Frederick C. Hirons of New York, to design the Aud.  They had proposed a Classical Revival structure featuring Doric columns and five large, bronze doors on the exterior, and an Art Deco-inspired interior - a creative blend of past and present appropriate for a memorial and cultural center.

Building the Auditorium

1931-1933
On September 1o, 1931, workers broke ground at the construction site. Six months later, the cornerstone was laid - a time capsule containing photographs and documents regarding the Aud, city government  records, coins,  and Charles Nutt's History of Worcester and Its People (1919). Two years after groundbreaking, the Aud was complete. This behemoth of Deer Island granite, Indiana limestone, and marble had cost $2 million. On September 26, 1933, Worcester citizens gathered in the auditorium for the dedication ceremony, which kicked off a week of celebratory events and concerts in the building. The Commemorative Dedication Book praised the Aud as "an enduring tribute to those whose sacrifice was sublime, a majestic memorial for the use and benefit of many generations."

"For the use and benefit of the people of the City..."

Since the day it first opened, the Aud was a multipurpose center of civic life. This four-story building served as a community space, government building, arts venue, and sports stadium. Each room had a distinct function, serving all strands of Worcester society.

Memorial Chamber

​The high-ceilinged Memorial Chamber honors the sacrifice of Worcester citizens during wartime. Artist Leon Kroll (1884-1974) spent three years painting three beautiful murals that remain the room's most prominent feature. Two murals depict the US Army and Navy, while the third and largest, known as the "Shrine of the Immortal," portrays the tomb of a heaven-bound soldier surrounded by "people of all classes and races gathered in peace and harmony under the American flag." Carved into the wall and flanked by quotes from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are names of the 355 Worcester soldiers who fell in the First World War. Three wrought-iron doors symbolizing Valor, Victory, and Peace lead into the auditorium balcony, while the building's monumental columns stand outside the chamber, visible through full-length windows. The Memorial was and remains a space for remembrance, as well as celebration of the city's strength.

Auditorium

The auditorium is the Aud's largest and most versatile room. With seating for 3,500-4,500 people, it accommodated concerts, graduation ceremonies, civic meetings, charity events, and even NCAA sports games. Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, the Rolling Stones, and Phish all performed onstage, while the Holy Cross basketball team enjoyed home-court advantage on the auditorium's hardwood floor. The room also boasts a Kimball Pipe Organ, containing 6,853 pipes and unchanged since it was built in 1933 - rare for such an old instrument. The Aud's last organ and choral concert took place in 2016, filling the echoing hall with sound seldom heard outside cathedrals. 

Little Theater

The Little Theater shares a stage with the auditorium, so the two were never used concurrently. Despite this quirk, the theater was ideal for movie screenings. It offered seating for 675 and included a film projection booth accessed by a ladder. The Little Theater had its own street entrance. Audiences could collect their tickets at the lobby box office, check their coats, and patronize a concession stand en route to their seats. The Little Theater is still a first-rate entertainment venue; when renovated, it can again be a popular gathering place for the Worcester community. 

Basement

The basement has traditionally been an office space. It was most recently used as an extension of the Worcester Courthouse for juvenile trials and court record storage. The basement has potential to serve a new purpose as ​workforce training and innovation laboratory.
with the speedway 

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