Utica Memorial Auditorium is a 4,000-seat multi-purpose 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...

 in Utica, New York

Utica, New York

Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....

, with a capacity of 5,700 for concerts.

It was built in 1959 on the site of the old Erie Canal

Erie Canal

The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...

. When it was completed, the "Aud" was one of just three arenas built without obstructed views. It hosted the 1962 NCAA Frozen Four. Scenes from the 1977 movie

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 Slap Shot were filmed there.

It is home to the Utica College

Utica College

Utica College is a private university located in Utica, New York. The history of the college dates back to the 1930s when Syracuse University began offering extension courses in the Utica area. Syracuse University established Utica College as a four-year institution in 1946, and in 1995, UC ...

 Pioneers, Mohawk Valley Community College

Mohawk Valley Community College

Mohawk Valley Community College is a two-year college of the State University of New York located in Oneida County, New York in the United States...

 Hawks, The Skating Club of Utica and several high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 varsity

Varsity team

In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...

 ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team

Team

A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...

s. It has been the former home for the Mohawk Valley Stars/Comets of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League

Atlantic Coast Hockey League

The Atlantic Coast Hockey League was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey....

, the Utica Devils

Utica Devils

The Utica Devils were an ice hockey team of the American Hockey League. The team played in Utica, New York at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.-History:...

 of the American Hockey League

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

, the Utica Bulldogs, Utica Blizzard

Utica Blizzard

The Utica Blizzard were a professional ice hockey team from Utica, New York, and member of the Colonial Hockey League 1994-1997. The Blizzard were formerly the Utica Bulldogs from 1993-1994. Prior to playing in Utica, the franchise was known as the Flint Bulldogs.-External links:* ...

, and Mohawk Valley Prowlers

Mohawk Valley Prowlers

The Mohawk Valley Prowlers were a UHL team which played from 1998 until January 2001 in Utica, New York. They were formerly the Dayton Ice Bandits...

 of the United Hockey League

United Hockey League

The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...

, and the Mohawk Valley IceCats of the North Eastern Hockey League

North Eastern Hockey League

The North Eastern Hockey League was a semi-professional ice hockey league from 2003 until 2008. It was created by entrepreneur Jim Cashman, who served as league president. The NEHL was built to focus on giving players that were not quite ready for the ECHL, United Hockey League, and the Central...

. Utica hopes to someday regain an affiliated hockey team, as evidenced by the average attendance for Utica College, which is the highest in all of Division III of United States college hockey.

In 2011, the "Aud" was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers

American Society of Civil Engineers

The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...

 in recognition of its innovative cable suspended roof.

External links

• Utica Memorial Auditorium Official Website