The Hippodrome
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The Hippodrome, formerly known as the McElroy Auditorium, is a 5,155 permanent seat multipurpose arena located in Waterloo, Iowa. The auditorium was built in 1919 and renovated in 1936, when the roof was raised, floor was excavated and additional seating was added.
The arena was named in honor of R. J. McElroy beginning around 1965, after the Waterloo broadcaster and philanthropist unexpectedly died. In 2018, the name of the venue was officially changed back to The Hippodrome.[1]
Arena Design
The auditorium has been in continuous operation since 1919, making it one of the oldest arenas in the country. The arena contains 234 classic arena style box seats and a Script error: No such module "convert". art deco lobby. With chairs placed on the arena floor, the arena holds up to 7,000 seated for concerts depending on stage configuration. There are four large concession areas and a 150-seat restaurant. For concerts, remote beverage stations are added along with an old milk truck that has been restored into a "hot rod" style beer truck with 8 tappers. There are 6 large modern dressing rooms and 5 large box office windows.
Usage
National Cattle Congress
The arena style auditorium, part of the National Cattle Congress complex, is used for trade shows, concerts, conventions, livestock shows, rodeos, meetings, sporting events and more.
Sports
The Hippodrome hosted the Waterloo Hawks of the NBL, NBA, and NPBL from 1948 to 1951. The Waterloo Hawks are the only Big Four major league team to have been based in Iowa.
The Hippodrome also housed the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks from their inception in 1962 until Young Arena opened in 1994, and the Iowa Stars of the Central Professional Hockey League during the 1969–70 season. The Hippodrome currently hosts the Iowa Woo team of The Arena League, which began play in 2024.
As a concert venue
The roof design and construction materials along with the room design make the venue well-suited for concerts acoustically. It has hosted a variety of acts such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Red Skelton, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, KISS, Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, Rush, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Destiny's Child, Jason Aldean, Roy Clark, Rob Zombie, Disturbed, Dierks Bentley, Nelly and Gym Class Heroes among many others in the past years.
Naming confusion
When the NBA played in Waterloo the arena is often referred to as McElroy Auditorium. The confusion stems from an NBA publication from the 1960s which erroneously listed the current name of the arena and not its historical name.[2]
Photo gallery
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A view from the rear of the auditorium looking towards the stage
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A view from the stage looking towards the rear
References
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External links
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- Pages with script errors
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- Convention centers in Iowa
- Buildings and structures in Waterloo, Iowa
- Ice hockey venues in Iowa
- National Basketball League (United States) venues
- Former NBA venues
- Waterloo Hawks
- Tourist attractions in Black Hawk County, Iowa
- 1919 establishments in Iowa
- Sports venues completed in 1919
- Event venues established in 1919
- Basketball venues in Iowa
- Rodeo venues in the United States