Worcester Memorial Auditorium

The Worcester Memorial Auditorium, also known simply as the Worcester Auditorium, is a multi-purpose arena and auditorium in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1933, as a World War I War memorial in the form of a multi-purpose hall, the Auditorium has a 116-foot-wide proscenium, and is located in Lincoln Square. Lincoln Square was recently ranked by Preservation Massachusetts as one of the "Most Endangered Historic Resources" in the state because of the three historical buildings in the square that are all empty or underutilized. Currently the Auditorium is used to house Massachusetts State Trial Court records and a small after-school program.

Built in 1933, the Worcester Auditorium was designed as a World War I War memorial in the form of a multi-purpose hall. The building is built in the Classical Revival style, but with Art Decco bas-relief ornamentation. The interior murals in the Auditorium were created by the artist Leon Kroll, and took three years to complete. When finished the main mural was the largest of its kind in the United States. [7] Since the Auditorium opened, it has been home to the Bay State Bombardiers of the Continental Basketball Association and the Holy Cross Crusaders before the Hart Center opened in 1975. It has also hosted Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and has served as a shelter after the Worcester tornado hit. There is another small performance space known as the "Little Theater" attached to the Auditorium, which can seat 675 people, but it is currently empty as well.

Photo 43, March 2011