The Main Arena in Municipal Auditorium

The Municipal Auditorium, 301 W 13th St., is definitely a landmark for Kansas City. Built in 1934 during Harry S. Truman’s “Ten Year Plan,” which brought new construction to downtown Kansas City and improved city streets, the Municipal Auditorium consisted of three main spaces: the Main Arena, the Little Theater, and the Music Hall. In 1935, Architectural Record named the Municipal Auditorium “one of the 10 best buildings in the world” of the year. The main arena can hold more than 10,000 patrons, and with no pillars obstructing the view, there’s no such thing as a bad seat. Shown in this postcard, thousands of Kansas Citians gathered for the building’s dedication on Oct. 13, 1936. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was even in attendance. Elvis, Eddie Fisher and Scottie Fisher also graced the Main Arena stage in the 1950s. The main arena of the auditorium has a long history of college basketball tournaments, hosting three of the first four NCAA Final Four games in the 1960s. The arena is now home to the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s basketball team, as well as the Kansas City Roller Warriors roller-derby league.