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Rhode Island Auditorium

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Rhode Island Auditorium
The Arena, The Main Event, Providence Auditorium
The plaque is hanging on a fence around the current parking lot. It contains the text in the description, along with a diagram of the façade of the former auditorium.
Plaque commemorating the former site of the Rhode Island Auditorium.
Map
Location1111 North Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°51′2.34″N 71°24′6.34″W / 41.8506500°N 71.4017611°W / 41.8506500; -71.4017611
OwnerHubert Milot, Louis A. R. Pieri(1938–1967)
OperatorLouis A. R. Pieri (Manager, 1929)
Capacity5,300
ScoreboardYes
Construction
OpenedFebruary 18, 1926
Demolished1989[1]
Tenants
Providence Reds (AHL) (1926–1972)
Providence Steamrollers (NBA) (1946–1949)[2]
Providence Friars (NCAA) (1952–1973)

Rhode Island Auditorium was an indoor arena in Providence, Rhode Island, at 1111 North Main Street. It hosted the NBA's Providence Steamrollers from 1946 until 1949, and the Providence Reds ice hockey team until the Providence Civic Center (now the Amica Mutual Pavilion) was opened in 1972.[3]

Description and history

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The arena held 5,300 people and opened in 1926. Through the years, a myriad of events including the Ice Capades, public skating, boxing, concerts, and religious events were held at the old barn. The venue hosted 28 of Rocky Marciano's 49 fights over a 4-year span, from July 12, 1948 (his second fight) to May 12, 1952 (his 41st), just four months before winning the heavyweight title by beating Jersey Joe Walcott in Philadelphia. After the Reds departed for the downtown Civic Center, the Auditorium, for a time, became a tennis venue.[2]

At the height of the Great Depression in 1932, the arena faced financial ruin. Industrialist and Rhode Island hockey legend Malcolm Greene Chace rescued the auditorium from foreclosure.[4]

In 1969, a concert by Sly and the Family Stone at the auditorium was followed by a riot. This led mayor Joseph A. Doorley to ban all rock concerts in Providence; the ban only lasted for a few months.[5]

It was torn down in 1989 and parking affiliated with The Miriam Hospital now occupies the site. In 2009, the Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society, a group formed to commemorate the hockey team, marked the site with a plaque commemorating the team's existence.[1]

Concert dates

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Date Band Opening Act(s)
November 3, 1965 The Rolling Stones
August 14, 1967 Herman's Hermits The Who
July 18, 1968 The Who
November 4, 1968 Cream The Terry Reid Group [6]
November 17, 1968 Jimi Hendrix
May 17, 1969 Jimi Hendrix Buddy Miles Express, Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys [7]
June 9, 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Country Funk [8]
April 21, 1971 The Grateful Dead [9]
July 15, 1971 Creedence Clearwater Revival [10]
August 13–14, 1971 Chicago

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "With puck and pluck: Documentary tells the story of the Rhode Island Reds hockey team". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  2. ^ a b "AIR Historical :: RI Auditorium". Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  3. ^ "RI Auditorium". www.rirocks.net. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  4. ^ "Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame". Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  5. ^ Stanton, Mike (2003). The Prince of Providence. New York: Random House. pp. 29, 32.
  6. ^ "The Clock That Went Backwards Again: Cream – 1968-11-04 – Providence". August 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  7. ^ "the jimi hendrix encyclopedia - jimihendrix.com". Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  8. ^ "RI Rocks". Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Grateful Dead Rhode Island Auditorium - April 21, 1971".
  10. ^ "Lot Detail - Creedence Clearwater Revival Original 1971 Concert Poster".
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