Minneapolis Auditorium

44°58′08″N 93°16′26″W / 44.969°N 93.274°W / 44.969; -93.274Capacity10,000ConstructionOpened1927Demolished1989Construction cost$3.15 million USD
($55.3 million in 2023 dollars^[1])TenantsMinneapolis Lakers (NBL/BAA/NBA) (1947–1959)
Minnesota Fillies (WPBL) (1980–1981)

Minneapolis Auditorium was an indoor arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It hosted the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers from 1947 until they moved to the Minneapolis Armory in 1959. The arena held 10,000 people and was built in 1927. The building fell into obscurity after the opening of the Met Center in suburban Bloomington. It was demolished in 1989 to make way for the Minneapolis Convention Center.

According to the Minneapolis magazine, when opened it opened on June 4, 1927, the Auditorium had a seating capacity of 5,687 on its balcony, 4,160 on its floor, and 698 on the stage, for a total of 10,545 (roughly 6,800 for ice hockey or figure skating).^[2] The auditorium took two years to construct, cost $3 million (in 1927 dollars), covered an area of 230 by 540 feet (approximately two city blocks), had a stage 50 by 186 feet (15 m × 57 m) in area, and 80-foot (24 m) tall ceiling. Construction of the building took 3.25 million bricks, 15,000 yards of concrete, and 5,000 tons of steel.^[3]

References

^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ "Minneapolis Auditorium".
^ Minnesota Magazine Index -- Minneapolis Central Library