Guide to the Scottrade
Center: An arena as popular as ours relies on an outstanding team
and streamlined systems to keep everything running smoothly. From Guest
Services to Concessions, we have thought of every last detail in our strive
to make the Scottrade Center a top-notch destination. Explore our history,
read up on our latest developments, and learn all the details necessary
to make sure your trip to the Scottrade Center is the best possible.
The
ultra-modern Scottrade Center rests on the former site of Kiel
Auditorium, built in 1932 as a municipal auditorium for the
citizens of St. Louis. Designed by St. Louis architects Louis
LaBeaume and Eugene S. Klein, Kiel Auditorium served St. Louis
for six decades as a center for conventions, public meetings,
expositions, sports events and musical performances.
According to a 1934 mayoral proclamation,
Kiel Auditorium was “designed to enrich the peoples’ lives and
increase their enjoyment and…add to the attractiveness and
popularity of our City as it will bring to us great conventions
and cultural activities.” Originally known as the Municipal
Auditorium, Kiel Auditorium was officially named in honor of
former St. Louis mayor Henry W. Kiel on March 26, 1943. Kiel,
a strong supporter of the arts, had encouraged the idea of a
municipal auditorium and helped that concept become a reality.
During its early years, Kiel Auditorium hosted such varied events
as the Grand Opera presentation of “La Boheme,” starring the
famous soprano Lucrezia Bori, the first National Folk Festival,
and a two-week-long exposition of St. Louis business and products
called “St. Louis on Parade.” Later, the facility continued
its tradition of diversity by hosting events ranging from the
Ziegfield Follies, the Grand Ole Opry and the Metropolitan Opera
to roller derby competitions, wrestling, and Broadway productions
of “Annie,” “A Chorus Line,” “Evita” and “My Fair Lady.”
In addition to serving as the primary venue for the St. Louis
Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, Dance
St. Louis and St. Louis’ annual Veiled Prophet Ball, Kiel Auditorium
served as the home court of the St. Louis Hawks professional
basketball team and the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball
team.
Among the many stars who performed at Kiel Auditorium were Jack
Benny, Neil Diamond, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Katharine
Hepburn, Bob Hope, the Jackson Five, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra,
the Supremes, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Elvis Presley, The Rolling
Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder.
In 1992, however, St. Louis city officials recognized the size
inadequacy of the 9,000-seat Auditorium as well as the need
for a new, state-of-the-art arena. Kiel Auditorium was torn
down in December 1992 to make way for the multipurpose Kiel
Center, which was opened in 1994. In August 2000, naming rights
for the building were sold to SAVVIS Communications Corporation.
In 2006, naming rights for the building were sold to Scottrade,
a St. Louis-based leading branch-supported online brokerage.
The building is now known as Scottrade Center.
Scottrade Center is now the home of the St. Louis Blues Hockey
Club. Scottrade Center also features a full range of arena programming,
including concerts, ice shows, family shows and other sporting
events. Scottrade Center plays host to approximately 175 events
per year, bringing nearly 2 million guests to downtown St. Louis
annually and ranking it as one of the top arenas in the country.
