Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium, in Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

, is an Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 building constructed between 1926 and 1929 during the administration of Mayor Lee Emmett Thomas

Lee Emmett Thomas

Lee Emmett Thomas was an attorney and banker who served as the mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, from 1922–1930. He was also from 1912–1916 the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives.-Background:...

 as a memorial to the servicemen of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1991 and was designated a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 on October 6, 2008.

The building was designed, by architects Samuel G. Wiener, Sr. and Seymour Van Os, both of the firm of Jones, Roessle, Olschner & Wiener of Shreveport. Contractor for construction was the Ashton Glassell Company, also of Shreveport.

The Municipal Memorial Auditorium is often called, "The "Muni," by Shreveporters. It is located at 705 Elvis Presley Avenue (formerly Grand Avenue), in Shreveport and houses the Stage of Stars Museum. The 3,200-seat auditorium is used for concerts, family shows, Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 plays, boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, and other special events.

It is significant for hosting the Louisiana Hayride

Louisiana Hayride

Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...

radio program. During its heyday, from 1948

1948 in radio

The year 1948 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*22 March: The Voice of Firestone becomes the first radio program to be aired on both AM and FM radio stations....

 to 1960

1960 in radio

The year 1960 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 25 - In Washington, DC, the National Association of Broadcasters reacts to the Payola scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accepted money for playing particular records.*February 8 - Congressional...

, the program spawned the careers of some of the greatest names in American Country and Rockabilly music. The Hayride regularly featured performers, such as Hank Williams, Slim Whitman

Slim Whitman

Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr. , known professionally as Slim Whitman, is an American country music singer and songwriter, known for his yodelling abilities. He has sold in excess of 120 million albums in unit sales and has had numerous successful recordings...

, Jim Reeves

Jim Reeves

James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...

, Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

, Johnny Horton

Johnny Horton

John Gale "Johnny" Horton was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s...

 & Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

 (who got his start at this venue), among many other notable names.

The auditorium has been undergoing renovations since 1994. Recent improvements to the Auditorium have included air conditioning, renovated restrooms, installation of ramps and an elevator. Additional renovations will be done in the future, resulting in a fully restored auditorium.