Omaha Civic Auditorium

Omaha Civic Auditorium
	;
Address	1804 Capitol Avenue
Location	Omaha, Nebraska
Coordinates	41°15′42″N 95°56′24″W / 41.26167°N 95.94000°W
Public transit	Metro Transit
Owner	City of Omaha
Operator	Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA)
Capacity	Arena:; Concerts: 10,960; Basketball: 9,300; Music Hall:; 2,453
Surface	multi-surface
Construction
Opened	1954
Closed	June 2014
Demolished	2016
Tenants
	Creighton Bluejays men's basketball; (NCAA) (1960–2003); Omaha racer (1989-1997); Kansas City-Omaha Kings (NBA) (1972–1978); Omaha Mavericks (CCHA) (1997–2003); Omaha Beef (IPFL/NIFL/UIF/IFL) (2000–2012); Creighton Bluejays women's basketball and volleyball (NCAA) (2003–2009); Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (AHL) (2005–2007); Omaha Lancers (USHL) (2009–2012); Omaha Vipers (MISL) (2010–2011)

Omaha Civic Auditorium was a multi-purpose convention center located in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CHI Health Center Omaha in 2003. With the opening of the Ralston Arena in 2012, all teams that played at the Civic Auditorium moved, which reduced the venue's viability. The auditorium closed its doors in June 2014 and was demolished two years later.

Facilities

Arena

The Civic Auditorium arena seated up to 9,300 for sporting events and up to 10,960 for concerts.

Omaha Civic Auditorium Music Hall

The Omaha Civic Auditorium Music Hall was located on the east side of Omaha Civic Auditorium and was used for concerts, Broadway shows and other events. It seated 2,453 and was known for its intimate yet casual atmosphere.

Exhibit Hall

The Civic Auditorium Exhibit Hall featured 43,400 square feet (4,000 m²) of space for conventions and trade shows.

Mancuso Hall

Mancuso Hall was a large-events venue used for parties, trade shows, concerts, banquets, and conventions, among other events. 25,000 square feet (2300 m²) of space, Mancuso Hall seated 2,500 for concerts and 1,500 for banquets.

Notable events

In the past, the arena was home to the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team, the Creighton women's basketball and volleyball teams, and the University of Nebraska Omaha hockey team, and the Kansas City-Omaha Kings NBA basketball team.

The arena was the site of the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament title game in 1978.^[1] It was also the site of the seventh WWF In Your House pay-per-view in 1996. Billy Graham's Nebraska Crusade took place at the arena in 1964.

George Wallace Riot

George Wallace (1919–1998) was a populist segregationist who ran a third-party presidential campaign to enhance the political clout of segregationist Southern leaders. On March 4, 1968, he came to Omaha to speak at the Civic Auditorium. The space in the auditorium had a limit of 3,400 people but more than 5,000 were admitted. Omahans packed in to support the candidate, except for a group of African American and white protesters seated at the foot of the stage. Many were youth with the Omaha NAACP, the DePorres Club and other protest organizations. At the apex of the speech, some of the protesters tore up signs they were waving and threw them on the stage, while others released stink bombs filling the auditorium with a foul odor. Police began attacking the protesters and brutalized them in front of the audience's applause. Fleeing the auditorium for safety, rioting ensued along North 24th Street, the main thoroughfare in Omaha's Black neighborhood. Civil unrest continued for days afterward, and Wallace's visit is attributed to the destruction of the neighborhood, further decimation of relations between the Omaha Police Department and the Black community, and more.^[2]

Afterward, the main story in the Omaha World-Herald was recalled as “almost a press release from the Wallace campaign, and yes that’s the way political journalism was back then, but it didn’t have any context.”^[3]

One of Elvis Presley's final concerts

One of Elvis Presley's final concerts was held at the Civic Auditorium on June 19, 1977.^[4] The concert was filmed for a CBS TV special, Elvis in Concert.^[4]

"You're no Jack Kennedy"

A notable event at the Civic Auditorium was the 1988 U.S. vice-presidential debate between Democrat Lloyd Bentsen and Republican Dan Quayle. The debate produced one of the most famous quotes in American political history.

Quayle, then a U.S. Senator from Indiana, had been a relative political unknown and reporters covering the campaign wondered if he would make a suitable president if something were to have happened to George H. W. Bush, who selected him as his running mate. In response to a question, Quayle pointed out that he had as much experience in the Senate as John F. Kennedy had prior to being elected President of the United States in 1960. To which, Bentsen, a Senate veteran from Texas, responded: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

Frazier vs. Stander : World's Heavyweight Championship

On May 25, 1972, Ron Stander, a ranked heavyweight contender from Council Bluffs, Iowa, known as "The Bluffs Butcher", fought the champion, Joe Frazier, for the World Heavyweight Championship, to a sold-out house. After Stander won the first round, he received severe cuts to his face, calling for ring doctor, Jack Lewis, to ask referee, Zack Clayton to stop the contest, before the fifth-round bell. Stander received seventeen stitches to close the cuts. This was Frazier's last title defense before his loss to George Foreman, the following year.

Demolition

Demolition of the Civic Auditorium began in August 2016.^[5] Nothing remains except bare dirt and grass at the site.

References

^ Hambleton, Ken (March 6, 1978). "Rick Apke makes brother look good as Bluejays win". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 13. Retrieved November 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Fletcher Sasse, Adam (2013) "A History of the North Omaha Riots", NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
^ Gish, C. and Jahn, C. (December 18, 2022) "George Wallace Brings Demagoguery to Omaha, Spurring Riots," Omaha World-Herald.
^ ^a ^b "Tours 1977". Elvis Concerts. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
^ Cole, Kevin (August 17, 2016). "After delays, demolition of Omaha's Civic Auditorium is underway". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved January 4, 2017.

Events and tenants
Preceded by None	Home of the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 2005 – 07	Succeeded by iWireless Center
Preceded by Cincinnati Gardens	Home of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (with Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City) 1972 – 75	Succeeded by Kemper Arena

[1] Hambleton, Ken (March 6, 1978). "Rick Apke makes brother look good as Bluejays win". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 13. Retrieved November 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Fletcher Sasse, Adam (2013) "A History of the North Omaha Riots", NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.

[3] Gish, C. and Jahn, C. (December 18, 2022) "George Wallace Brings Demagoguery to Omaha, Spurring Riots," Omaha World-Herald.

[elvis-4] "Tours 1977". Elvis Concerts. Retrieved January 4, 2017.

[demounderway-5] Cole, Kevin (August 17, 2016). "After delays, demolition of Omaha's Civic Auditorium is underway". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved January 4, 2017.

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Playing venues	Omaha Civic Auditorium (1997–2003) CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003–2015) Baxter Arena (2015–present)
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Conference affiliations	CCHA (1999–2010) WCHA (2010–2013) NCHC (2013–Present)
All-time leaders	Scott Parse (197 Points) Scott Parse (79 Goals) John Faulkner (54 Wins)
Frozen Four appearances	2015
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