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 and
the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team, the St. Louis
Steamers Major Indoor Soccer League and the RiverCity Rage National
Indoor Football League. 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.
Webmaster e-mails are answered promptly Monday
through Friday during normal business hours.
If you have an urgent event-specific
question in the evening or on weekends,
please call 314-622-5400 during the event to speak to the event receptionist.
