THE BACK STORY
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium , which opened in 1927 , is the crown jewel of the California capital ’ s SAFE Credit Union Convention and Performing Arts District . SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Ninety-three years after opening , it ’ s ready for the future
BY Ed Goldman
While no one can claim that George Washington slept there , we can definitely verify that Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was nearly electrocuted there . It ' s been the venue for many rock concerts , weddings , dances and trade shows , the graduation of thousands of high school and law school students , and its share of governmental state-of-whatever addresses .
And while it ’ s safe to say the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium was built for a noble purpose — a dedication to those who had served the country — it was also to help Sacramento attract convention trade . And it ’ s also not a stretch to say that if it hadn ’ t been for Sacramento Memorial Auditorium , there might never have been a Golden 1 Center .
The Memorial , as it ’ s been affectionately referred to since it opened in 1927 , is the 93-year-old crown jewel of the California capital ’ s SAFE Credit Union Convention and Performing Arts District , which also includes — excuse its dust — the Community Center Theater and a massive conference enclave under renovation . Within the auditorium itself is even a mini-Memorial : the Jean Runyon Little Theater , named in honor ( and in the lifetime ) of the region ’ s premier public relations maven , who supported every lively art she encountered , though it was the stage that nurtured her .
While chronologically a relic , the Memorial is anything but a fossil . Its tiltable stage floor , for example , which descends to allow another portion of the surface to function as an elevated platform , was seen as a modern marvel not only during its construction , which began in 1925 , but also as recently as three years ago when an epic updating of the facility began , mostly to accommodate requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act .
“ All of the building ’ s mechanisms , first installed 90 years ago , still worked beautifully ,” Jeff Davis , a senior principal at Architectural Nexus , told me nearly three years ago for a story about the $ 16.1 million renovation , which included an upgrade of the venue ’ s electrical and
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium by the Numbers
1923 : Sacramento voters approved a bond measure to fund the building .
1925 : Groundbreaking , officiated by Sen . Hiram Johnson
1927 : Opening ceremonies 1986 : Closed over seismic concerns 1996 : Reopened after restoration
3,849 : Number of seats in the main auditorium
272 : Number of seats in the Jean Runyon Little Theater
21 : Number of dressing rooms
SOURCE : CITY OF SACRAMENTO
104 comstocksmag . com | January 2021