McElroy Auditorium, also known as the Hippodrome, is a 6,630 permanent seat multipurpose arena

Arena

An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

 located in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...

. The auditorium was built in 1919 and renovated in 1936, when the roof was raised, floor was excavated and additional seating was added.

Arena Design

The auditorium has been in continuous operation since 1919, making it one of the oldest arenas in the country. The arena contains 260 classic arena style box seats and a 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) art deco lobby. With chairs placed on the arena floor, the arena holds up to 8,735 seated for concerts depending on stage configuration. There are four large concession areas and a 150-seat restaurant. For concerts, remote beverage stations are added along with an old milk truck that has been restored into a "hot rod" style beer truck with 8 tappers. There are 6 large modern dressing rooms and 5 large box office windows.

National Cattle Congress

The arena style auditorium, part of the National Cattle Congress complex, is used for trade shows, concerts, conventions, livestock shows, rodeos, meetings, sporting events and more. It housed the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks from their inception in 1962 until Young Arena

Young Arena

Young Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Waterloo, Iowa, United States, and was built in 1994. It is home to the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League, the Waterloo Warriors of the Midwest High School Hockey League, the Waterloo Youth Hockey Association, and the Cedar...

 opened in 1995 and the Iowa Stars (1969-70)  Central Professional Hockey League

Central Professional Hockey League

The Central Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated in the United States from 1963 to 1984. Initially named the Central Professional Hockey League, it was owned and operated by the National Hockey League and served as a successor to the Eastern Professional Hockey...

 during the 1969-70 season. It also hosted the Waterloo Hawks

Waterloo Hawks

The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the Big Four Leagues.- Franchise history :...

of the NBL and NBA in the 1940s and 1950s.

As a concert venue

The roof design and construction materials along with the room design make the venue well-suited for concerts acoustically. It has hosted a variety of acts such as Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, Jackie Gleason, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, KISS, Aerosmith, Rush, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Nelly, Rob Zombie, Disturbed and among others. New management in 2011 has revitalized the venue and is now one of the busiest large venues in the Midwest.

External Links

National Cattle Congress
NCC Facebook Page