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RI Auditorium / the Arena

 

(from Wikipedia) Rhode Island Auditorium was an indoor arena in Providence, at 1111 North Main Street. It hosted the NBA’s Providence Steamrollers basketball team from 1946 until 1949, and the Providence Reds ice hockey team until the Providence Civic Center (now the Dunkin’ Donuts Center) was opened in 1972. The arena held 5,300 people and opened in 1926. It was torn down after the opening of the Civic Center and parking now occupies the old site.

(from www.onfrozenpond.com) Rhode Island Auditorium was built in 1925 by a group of investors headed by Rhode Island native Hubert Milot. It opened at 1111 North Main Street in Providence on February 18, 1926. At that time there were only two other organized professional hockey teams in the United States, the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

Surprisingly, when the Auditorium made its debut, it was not for a hockey game. Instead, an overflow crowd of 6,000 spectators jammed the new building to enjoy an ice skating show.

The next fall, the Providence Reds joined the Canadian-American Hockey League composed of the Philadelphia Arrows, Quebec Beavers, New Haven Eagles and Boston Bruin Cubs. Judge James E. Dooley, a leading sports figure at the famed Narragansett Racetrack on the Pawtucket-East Providence line, was founder of the first Reds team.

Louis A. R. Pieri, a Brown University graduate, basketball and football player, became manager of the Auditorium in 1929. Then in 1938, he and his wife Mildred, daughter Lucille and son Louis took ownership of both the building and the Reds hockey team. Pieri later became one of the most important sports figures in the United States.

For years, while the big building stood on North Main Street, it was called both Rhode Island Auditorium and The Arena. Photos of the edifice show the name Rhode Island Auditorium, back-lit by neon lights on the marquee over the main entrance. Yet high above, at the very top of the building’s facade itself, was the word ARENA, painted in big, white capital letters.

The thousands of fans who flocked there for hockey, basketball, boxing and shows of every description, called it either Rhode Island Auditorium or The Arena. However, dating back to its very earliest years in the 1930s, the front page of every game program called it Rhode Island Auditorium.

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Paul Fernandes Mar 6 2010 I would like to ask anyone that has pictures of the RI Auditoium, LeRoy or concerts if you would like to contribute to the RIROCKS.NET website and I will give you full credit. The website will be launched in April 2010 please contact me at paulfernandes04 [at] yahoo [dot] com. thank you

Mike Farrell Jan 9 2010 I can’t begin to count the number of great nights I spent @ The Auditorium. Sunday night hockey games were a regular in my family. The very first concert I attended was Thanksgiving Eve 1963 with The Beachboys and 2 opening acts. During the following years Hendrix, Cream, The Who and a loooong list of others led me down a path to my professional life as an audio engineer. I actually got to mix several shows in the building in it’s later years and was thrilled to do so in the spot where it all began for me. I have a number of bricks from the building I aquired during demolition lining gardens around my property. I wish I could squeeze some old toons out of them !!

Paul Santos Oct 30 2009 1968, the first concert of my life, The Cream farewell tour, backed by Terri Reid. Not to mention seeing the original WWW, with the likes of Haystack Calhoun and Killer Kawalski.

Rock Aug 2 2009 I remember seeing a Wizard of Oz themed Ice Capades at the old Arena... some time in the early 60s... It was Winter and was really cold inside that place...

Gale Jul 10 2009 I remember seeing Melanie at the Arena. I went ice skating there as well. I don’t live in RI right now, but I do miss the arena.

Jerry Apr 24 2009 When I was a little guy we went to the Auditorium to see a rodeo. The highlight of the night was when the Range Rider (Jock Mahoney) and his side kick Dick West “The All American Boy” made their appearance. I don’t remember any of the rodeo – just thier appearance! The Range Rider was one of the earliest TV shows that I actually remember. Table Talk pies was the sponsor! The Auditorium may be long gone, but the Penalty Box is still there! A small bar right on the corner that got its name from the hockey term of the same name.

Loran Fairfield Apr 4 2009 My best memory of the Auditorium is from spring of ‘69, the last time Jimi Hendrix played there. My friend Jack Hanrahan and I arrived around 7 that nite, walked right to the box office and got two tickets, 6 bucks apiece. No scalper or anything. Just imagine trying to do that for any popular artist today. Great show, I’d swear there were still notes bouncing around the rafters when the place was torn down. Too bad he’s gone.

John Apr 2 2009 Wow, nice parking lot! Great use of the land. This really brings people together. Thank goodness for redevelopment.

Bobby Desjardins Feb 3 2009 I live in new orleans now, but born in r.i. My father and uncle would take my brothers and myself to red games on sunday evening after playing hockey during the day. I remember bobby leduc giving me his stick which i still have to this day! I remember the cigar smoke filling up the place where you could not see across the rink; also the coziness of the building to watch the reds, and the organ playing during pre-game warm ups. i miss the place but will never forget. i purchased one of the limited prints which is hanging in my bedroom here in new orleans.

William Flanagan Jan 26 2009 RI Auditorium hosted a lot of important rock concerts in the 60s and early 70s: Bob Dylan and the Hawks (later The Band), Hendrix twice, the Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Johnny Cash, Sly and the Family Stone – which started a riot and got rock concerts banned in Providence for a couple of years. Merv Griffin did a special called “Sidewalks of New England” that featured Aretha Franklin live at RI Auditorium. In its final days, when half the hall had been converted into The Main Event, a very young U2 played there. And yes, Beacon Shop, just down the street, was the kind of record store that doesn’t exist anymore – not just deep catalog rock and R&B, but yards of classical, jazz, blues, gospel, country, and easy listening. Throw in Korb’s bakery and Miller’s deli and North Main Street was the boulevard of dreams.

Andy Braica Jan 14 2009 My father used to take me to the Arena to see boxing, which I believe was on Monday nights. I recall seeing Chris Schenkel doing the radio cast from ringside. Also, Warren Walden the former WJAR sports caster Ralph Zanelli ,Willie Pep, Geoge Aroujo fought there as well as Rocky Marciano. I also remember seeing Roy Rogers there.

Jesse Levesque Nov 22 2008 I’ll never forget the many Wednesdays and Sunday nights I enjoyed watching the R.I. Reds play hockey at that auditorium. I was just a boy then so the thrill for me was great. My Dad and two uncles used to have season tickets and would bring me along twice per week. They knew one of the ticket takers at the door who would let me in for free. I used to carry and bring-in my own little folding chair and would sit in front of one of the building support columns and be next to my Dad. I even had a plastic horn which my Dad had made for me, even had a mouthpiece on it and that horn was loud! I’m sure many people had seen me sitting in front of that particular column every Sunday night and many Wednesdays. I was fortunate no employees ever threw my Dad out because I never had a ticket!
   I remember seeing a live chicken or two and chairs getting thrown on the ice when the Reds weren’t doing so well. I remember several of the Reds players. Only one wore a helmet that I remember during that time (Alton White?). Even Marcel P. (our beloved goaltender) didn’t wear a face mask! I remember one particular game against the Rochester Americans where the Reds had scored over 15 goals! I had never seen a hockey team lose the game and their moral soooo badly as on that night!
   The only thing I really disliked about that arena? I’ll never forget the cigarette smoke. It used to fill the arena sooo bad by the third period you could cut it with a knife! Talk about danger of second-hand cigarette smoke? Holy crap it was bad, but seeing the Reds play hockey twice per week when I was just a kid?? It sure was worth it! Many a time in the start of the 3rd period my Dad would allow me to change seats. He knew I hated the cigarette smoke, so he let me go look below where I’d always find an empty seat for myself! I’d sometimes sit in the first row right-up against the glass!! What a thrill it was for me who didn’t even have a ticket and never thought of such things!!

ray buben July 12 2008 I will never forget The Arena. I spent a great deal of my childhood there. I worked in the parking lot for Al Rondeau, I started when I was about 11 years old, I would stand at the entrance of the parking lot waving a flashlight trying to encourage people to park there, my brother George was my competitor across the street. Working there would get us in the arena to see what ever was playing for fre,. Pay was only about a dollar a night. I saw the RI Reds hockey, high school hockey, college hockey, Ice Capades, Ice Follies Famous stars ie Bob hope, Bill Halley and The Comets, Circuses, Jean Autrey, and rodeos it was our main form of entertainment. I am glad we had the ARENA.

Jack Reich Around 1980 I promoted some concerts there… It was called the Main Event and then 11-11 for a short time.

  1. Rickie Lee Jones
  2. Adam Ant
  3. The Ramones
  4. Iggy Pop
  5. George Thorogood & the Destroyers (George had his custom white thunderbird Gibson guitar stolen from back stage)
  6. And a group called the Plasmatics blew up a car in there.

That’s not a shabby line-up but the place was past it’s prime. The building had been sub-divided by then and was a maze.

Donna Rosa Baker My father, Norman Rosa, was the nephew of Louis Pieri and was the building superintendent for years at the Rhode Island Auditorium. Uncle Louis was also my godfather and I have fond memories of visiting the auditorium, watching the games and going to alot of events there. I have great memories of my dad and watching him work the building doing his thing. He stayed in the business until he retired, working other Arenas over the years (St. Louis Arena/Boston Gardens/ and Portland Civic Center in Maine. He was a great man.
   I am a deputy juvenile officer for St. Louis County, Missouri. Like the generations before me, I have dedicated years to my profession and contributed alot to the Family Court for the past 29 years. It always feels good to have had dedicated people who came before me showing me the way of good work ethic – the parents, aunts, and uncles and other family members who consider that working hard is hardly working when you’re doing something you love and making a difference in the world of others. Thanks Uncle Louis and Norman Rosa for leading the way!

Ollie Running Water Best I am looking for pictrures of a Pageant that took place in the Rhode Island Auditorium on Friday, Dec. 1, 1939. The Pageant was called “The Brotherhood of Yesterday is the Peace of Tomorrow” I am looking for pictures for our Native Narragansett Indian Museum called “Tomaquag” in Exeter, R.I. These pictures would be approx 66 years old now. We would LOVE to display them. Also interested to see if any had my Great Grandmother Theresa Peckham in them. The Pageant was apparently written by Princess Red Wing.
   Thank you. Pleaes e-mail me if you would have any such pictures or souveniers of this play. I would be ever so thankful. OllieB789@aol.com

Marie George I grew up going to all kinds of events there. Ice Capades, Ringling Brothers Circus, and even a Jimi Hendrix concert. It seemed so big to me. I was sad to see it go.

Lester Goulart I used to work there near the end of its era. When I was there it was no longer a ice rink. It had a second floor put in and the top floor was a roller rink and the lower floor had a Salon, (my lady of Fittness) and tennis courts took over where the ice rink used to be ) fore court) there was a diner on the left side of the building. It was owned by a R.I. developer named Charles Tapalian and he tried many different things there, motor-cross, flea market, auctions, etc but nothing seemed to take hold. It was a grand old place though, I miss it and the many memories it used to bring. I agree with the other writer, “Its sure an ugly place now”

Jim Engstrom - Eagle Mountain, Texas I watched my great friend Ray Sauer play high school hockey (Warwick Vets) and remember Mr. Joe Marcello (Photographer) covering the Reds in the late 50’s.

Dean Carlson In it’s last years, it was a disco named 11-11. It also had a video game room on the left side of the building and a roller skating rink on the right. I think I heard Rapper’s Delight for the first time skating around in there.

Robert Fagan I remember two things about the RI Auditorium/Arena. One, very late in it’s existence I believe it became some sort of disco/nightclub, and 2) My mother refused to let me go see the Doors when they played there in about 1968 or so (I was only 11 years old!)
   And, by the way – does anyone remember (or have photos of) Beacon Record Shop, which was right down the street a few blocks from the Arena? Biggest and best record store in RI at the time – probably still would be, too…

Thomas Nosal I live right around the corner from where the arena used to be. I’m not old enough to remember it but my dad has told me all about how he used to attend concerts and other events there. Everytime i look at that huge, ugly parking lot that’s there now I wish that place never got torn down.

Stanley Bomes As someone brought up in Providence and as an avid Providence Reds fans I cannot help but have fond memories of the building. It really was the perfect sport arena – especially for hockey. You were right on top of the action. I remember the night they took down the chicken wire and replaced it with plexi-glass. The Reds were loosing and everyone started yelling “bring back the chicken wire.” What a lot of people forget is that prior to the days of Schneider Arena built on the Providence College campus, The PC hockey Friars played their home games in the arena and for a number of years the Boston Celtics played a few games a year there.

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