Denver Auditorium Arena

Auditorium Arena
Location	14th and Arapahoe Streets, Denver, Colorado 80204
Coordinates	39°44′40″N 104°59′51″W / 39.74444°N 104.9975°W / 39.74444; -104.9975Coordinates: 39°44′40″N 104°59′51″W / 39.74444°N 104.9975°W / 39.74444; -104.9975
Broke ground	1908
Opened	July 7, 1908
Demolished	1990
Owner	City and County of Denver
Operator	City and County of Denver
Surface	Multi-Surface
Architect	Robert Willison
Capacity	12,500 (original), 6,841 (renovated)
Tenants
Denver Nuggets (NBL/NBA) (1948–1950) Denver Nuggets (ABA) (1967–1975)

Denver Auditorium Arena was an indoor arena located at the corner of 13th and Champa Streets in Denver, Colorado. It was constructed as the Denver Municipal Auditorium in 1908 during the administration of Denver Mayor Robert W. Speer. The building was opened on July 7, 1908, and was the site of the 1908 Democratic National Convention.

With a capacity of 12,500, the building was at the time of its opening the second largest in America to Madison Square Garden.^[1] Initially, the venue was configured and equipped to hold numerous kinds of events including theater, opera, conventions, sporting events, exhibitions, concerts, and more. Renovations were made to the building in the 1940s, and in 1953 the southern half of the building was converted into the Auditorium Arena, a pure sporting venue with seating capacity of 6,841. It hosted the ABA's Denver Rockets, later the Denver Nuggets, from 1967 until they left for McNichols Sports Arena in 1975.

The Auditorium Arena was an annual host of the Colorado high school state basketball tournament, primarily for the smaller-enrollment classifications.

The Auditorium Arena was home to the Denver Comets of the professional International Volleyball Association from 1977-1980, and home to the Denver Racquets of World Team Tennis from 1974-1975.

On December 26, 1968, the rock group Led Zeppelin played their first concert in the United States at the Auditorium Arena.^[1]

In the last several years of its existence, the building was a popular venue for professional wrestling, hosting both AWA and WWF events.

In 1990 the building was remodeled into the Temple Hoyne Buell Theater.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Venue information and background

Events and tenants
Preceded by St. Louis Coliseum	Host of the Democratic National Convention 1908	Succeeded by 5th Maryland Regiment Armory
Preceded by First arena	Home of the Denver Nuggets (original) 1948 – 1950	Succeeded by Defunct
Preceded by None	Home of the Denver Rockets/Denver Nuggets 1967 – 1975	Succeeded by McNichols Sports Arena