Bangor Auditorium

Interior of Auditorium, set up for the Shrine Circus in 2007.

The Paul Bunyan statue in 2007, still extant as part of the new arena.

The Bangor Auditorium was a 5,948-seat multi-purpose arena located in downtown Bangor, Maine.

History[edit]

Construction of the Bangor Auditorium began in early 1955, after the city of Bangor, Maine hired architect Eaton Tarbell to design the facility.^[1]^[2] The auditorium opened its doors to the public for the first time on October 1, 1955 with a maximum capacity of 7,426.^[3]

The auditorium shared the same complex as the Bangor Civic Center, and was mainly used for concerts, sporting events, circus performances, political rallies, as well as trade shows with 16,000 square feet (1500 m²) of space.

During its years of operation, the auditorium hosted several notable politicians, musicians, and other people of note,^[4] including: Barack Obama,^[5] Jimmy Carter,^[6] Bob Dylan,^[7] KISS,^[8] Aerosmith,^[9] Garth Brooks,^[10] Willie Nelson,^[11] the WWE,^[12]^[13] and others.

It was demolished in 2013.^[14]^[15] For decades, the auditorium was a hub for youth and men's basketball competitions.^[16]^[17] It hosted the Maine Principals' Association basketball tournament each February, as well as the graduation ceremonies for Bangor High School in June. It also served as the home of the Maine Windjammers of the Continental Basketball Association, and the University of Maine men's and women's basketball teams for a few seasons until 1992. The V-shape style of the building gave it the look of giant wings and adds to the atmosphere. A statue of Paul Bunyan towered outside as a symbol of the city's prosperous history as a lumber port in the early-to-mid-19th century.

The auditorium and civic center shared its campus with Bass Park, home of the Bangor State Fair as well as Bangor Raceway, one of the oldest harness racing facilities in New England. Bangor Auditorium has hosted many major musical acts and has been a stop for World Wrestling Entertainment house shows for many years.

Replacement[edit]

Over the course of a few years, the city discussed significantly renovating or replacing the aging auditorium with a state-of-the-art venue. Poor ventilation and HVAC systems as well as substandard handicap accessibility have been cited as primary reasons for this.

In 2009 the city consulted with Sink Combs Dethlefs, Denver architects, and others to discuss the construction of a $51 million, 5,000-seat arena adjacent to the existing structure. Their proposal suggested using the new 160,000-square-foot (15,000 m²) facility as the centerpiece of the complex, while renovating the existing auditorium and the Bangor Civic Center for smaller events at an additional cost of $18 million.

After a May 2011 public referendum in which Bangor voters supported building new facilities by a margin of 3 to 1, the plan now moved forward to build an entirely new set of primary buildings at Bass Park to replace the existing Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center with new structures, while leaving the old buildings open almost until the new buildings opened. The Bangor Auditorium was demolished in 2013 with the new arena completed.

The new arena, officially the Cross Insurance Center, has varying maximum seating depending on the configuration that is used. For events that use the main floor for performance there are 5,800 fixed seats. For events using an end stage of 60 feet by 40 feet the new arena will seat as many as 8,050 persons. The new facility is managed by Global Spectrum, a division of Comcast.

References[edit]

^ "Bangor Auditorium was beloved despite problems". Piscataquis Observer. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ "Tarbell, Eaton Weatherbee" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 903.
^ "Bangor Auditorium under construction, 1955". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Stewart, Jason (2023-03-16). "Back in the Day, The Old Bangor Auditorium was the Concert Hot Spot". I-95 FM. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ "Staff Photo by Fred Field -- Sen. Barack Obama took in the applause..." Getty Images. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ "When President Carter visited Bangor, the Murray family opened their doors to an unforgettable experience". newscentermaine.com. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ "Bangor Auditorium | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Burnham, Emily (2019-11-14). "KISS to play first Bangor concert in more than 40 years next summer". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Sedenka, Chris (2023-07-16). "Take a Look at Aerosmith's Epic Touring History in Maine". 94.3 WCYY. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Campbell, Cindy (2019-03-27). "Garth Brooks Backstage Pass From 1992 Is A Blast From The Past". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Burnham, Emily (2021-05-24). "Decades ago, the Bangor Auditorium drew famous rock stars to eastern Maine". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Verge, Jordan (2023-09-15). "Every Time WWE Has Come to Bangor (1967-2023)". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Verge, Jordan (2023-06-08). "Every Time The Iron Sheik Wrestled at the Bangor Auditorium". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ "The last hurrahs for the Bangor Auditorium". Press Herald. 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ Bennett, Kevin (June 10, 2013). "Dismantling the Bangor Auditorium". Bangor Daily News.
^ Campbell, Cindy (2023-02-21). "High School Tourney Week Makes Me Miss the Bangor Auditorium". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
^ "Coaches compare atmosphere of Bangor Auditorium to Cross Insurance Center". newscentermaine.com. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

External links[edit]

44°47′23.08″N 68°46′48.59″W / 44.7897444°N 68.7801639°W / 44.7897444; -68.7801639

[:0-1] "Bangor Auditorium was beloved despite problems". Piscataquis Observer. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[2] "Tarbell, Eaton Weatherbee" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 903.

[3] "Bangor Auditorium under construction, 1955". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[4] Stewart, Jason (2023-03-16). "Back in the Day, The Old Bangor Auditorium was the Concert Hot Spot". I-95 FM. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[5] "Staff Photo by Fred Field -- Sen. Barack Obama took in the applause..." Getty Images. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[6] "When President Carter visited Bangor, the Murray family opened their doors to an unforgettable experience". newscentermaine.com. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[7] "Bangor Auditorium | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[8] Burnham, Emily (2019-11-14). "KISS to play first Bangor concert in more than 40 years next summer". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[9] Sedenka, Chris (2023-07-16). "Take a Look at Aerosmith's Epic Touring History in Maine". 94.3 WCYY. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[10] Campbell, Cindy (2019-03-27). "Garth Brooks Backstage Pass From 1992 Is A Blast From The Past". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[11] Burnham, Emily (2021-05-24). "Decades ago, the Bangor Auditorium drew famous rock stars to eastern Maine". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[12] Verge, Jordan (2023-09-15). "Every Time WWE Has Come to Bangor (1967-2023)". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[13] Verge, Jordan (2023-06-08). "Every Time The Iron Sheik Wrestled at the Bangor Auditorium". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[14] "The last hurrahs for the Bangor Auditorium". Press Herald. 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[15] Bennett, Kevin (June 10, 2013). "Dismantling the Bangor Auditorium". Bangor Daily News.

[16] Campbell, Cindy (2023-02-21). "High School Tourney Week Makes Me Miss the Bangor Auditorium". Q106.5. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

[17] "Coaches compare atmosphere of Bangor Auditorium to Cross Insurance Center". newscentermaine.com. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2024-01-17.

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v t e Maine Black Bears men's basketball
Venues	The Pit (1935–1989; alternate, 2011–present) Bangor Auditorium (1989–1992) Alfond Arena (1992–2013) Cross Insurance Center (2013–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

v t e Maine Black Bears women's basketball
Venues	The Pit at Memorial Gymnasium (1935–1989; alternate, 2011–present) Bangor Auditorium (1989–1992) Alfond Arena (1992–2013) Cross Insurance Center (2013–2022)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24