Public Auditorium

The auditorium cornerstone was laid October 20, 1920, and the completed building was dedicated April 15, 1922. Smith & Oby was one local company involved in the project, at the time the largest convention hall in the United States. The main arena floor is and high. No columns were used in its construction. With all its removable seats in place on the arena floor and in the balcony, the hall could seat 13,000. The main stage is with a proscenium arch. A key attraction was a spectacular pipe organ, Opus 328, the largest ever built at one time by E.M. Skinner with 10,010 pipes and 150 direct speaking stops. Below ground, a basement Exhibition Hall provided more than of exhibition space. This space was reached by an elegant stone staircase with bronze lights which led down from Public Auditorium's lobby. But the exhibition space itself was uninviting. It had an asphalt floor, was undecorated, and was interrupted by more than 40 columns. Cleveland's Public Auditorium was considered so advanced architecturally that it became the model for similar public auditoriums in Atlantic City and Philadelphia. ==Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame==

The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame displays duplicates of many of the plaques it has awarded in the lobby at the Lakeside Avenue entrance to the Cleveland Public Auditorium. 1928 and 1936 additions In 1928, the Music Hall and Little Theater were added at the south end of Public Auditorium, and a terrace added to the north end. 1964 alterations concert on September 15, 1964 at Cleveland Public Hall In 1964, the city constructed a new underground convention center. The ballroom/exhibition space below Mall B was demolished and a much larger "Great Hall" (the convention center) built in its place. A tunnel was constructed below Lakeside Avenue to connect the new "Great Hall" to the Lakeside Exhibition Hall. On the west side of Public Auditorium, a four-story (one source says three-and-a-half story) modern glass and metal entrance pavilion added new lobby space for both buildings. A corridor hugged the exterior wall of the old hall, providing access to the meeting rooms. This corridor had decorative stone panels on one side and painted wood on the other, and was lined with sturdy chair upholstered in luggage fabric. The old asphalt floor was covered with concrete, and then tiled and carpeted. Cove lighting lit the corridor and meeting rooms. and all public spaces in Public Auditorium were retiled, repainted, and replastered, while furniture received new upholstery. The north terrace was rebuilt in four different colors of granite. The glass curtain wall received new mechanical louvers. In 2010, the city sold the underground convention center to Cuyahoga County, which repurposed it to construct the new $465 million Cleveland Convention Center, connected to the Global Center for Health Innovation. The work included a $3.9 million renovation and restoration of Public Auditorium. When the neighboring Crowne Plaza was sold and renovated as the Westin Hotel Cleveland in 2013, its new owners considered building a skywalk across East 6th Street connecting it to Public Auditorium. It was not constructed. ==Events==

induction ceremony held at Public Hall Public Auditorium has hosted many notable events, including the 1924 and 1936 Republican National Conventions, General Eisenhower's address on September 23, 1952, to 15,000 supporters immediately after Richard Nixon's successful Fund Speech, and the 1993 Cleveland Orchestra 75th anniversary concert. In 1946, jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt made his American debut at Music Hall, accompanied by pianist Duke Ellington. Both Music Hall and Public Hall have served as venues for many rock and roll acts, including such legendary performers as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, The Doors, The Supremes, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and the Rolling Stones. Ozzy Osbourne's live album Tribute was recorded at Music Hall in May 1981. Canadian hard rock band Triumph's live album King Biscuit Flower Hour (In Concert) was recorded at Music Hall in October 1981. It also was the home for the Metropolitan Opera Spring Tour performances between 1924 and 1983. Its use as a concert venue declined sharply after the completion of the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University in 1991. The annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies have been held in Public Auditorium several times. In April 2009, it hosted the 24th induction ceremonies, the first open to the public. On April 14, 2012, the facility hosted the Hall of Fame's 27th induction ceremonies. On April 18, 2015, the facility hosted the 30th anniversary induction ceremonies. On April 14, 2018, the facility hosted the 33rd anniversary induction ceremonies. Public Auditorium was occasionally used as a home court for the Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball team between 1981 and 1989 until the opening of the Wolstein Center. The Mid-American Conference women's basketball tournament was held in the auditorium in 2000, the tournament's first year in Cleveland. Public Hall hosted two athletic events in 2014, the first being a Fed Cup series between the United States and Italy in February, followed by the 2014 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in March. The Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League announced on June 4, 2024, they would be moving their home games to Public Auditorium beginning with the 2024–25 season, leaving the nearby Wolstein Center after three seasons. ==References==