The Cleveland Agora - From College Dance Hall to Rock & Roll Proving Ground | Cleveland Historical (original) (raw)
In 1967, an article in the Case student newspaper decried that Cleveland area college students had “no place to go” to socialize off-campus. One local music fan and entrepreneur stepped in and changed everything, putting Cleveland on the map as an international rock and roll destination.
After a stint distributing records for jukeboxes, Hank LoConti opened the original Agora club on February 27, 1966, at 2175 Cornell Road, in the former Ripa Hall, which had been home to an Italian hometown society for immigrants from Ripalimosani, Italy. With its location in Little Italy just across the railroad tracks from Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, the original Agora was a simple venue intended primarily for students. The Agora grew steadily from the start, opening the nation's first in-house recording studio in 1968 and producing many live albums. As LoConti later reflected, from there the Agora “grew to the magnitudes no one had ever dreamed.”
As word spread and crowds began to swell, some residents in famously-protective Little Italy decided the Agora – with its raucous fans and loud music – didn’t fit with their vision for the neighborhood. A large group of locals formed one night to publicly voice their disdain for the college students’ unwelcome invasion. Moved by the group’s grievances but also pleased with the Agora’s rising success, LoConti arranged for a second lease at 1724 East 24th Street near Payne Avenue, opening a new club in July 1967, likely intending to reduce crowds on Cornell Road. For the next 18 months, LoConti operated two Agoras, nicknaming the original "Agora Alpha" and the new club "Agora Beta." Agora Beta would become the stuff of legend.
Throughout the 1970s, the Agora’s reputation grew as it began to host increasingly prominent acts and even expanded for a time into a chain with clubs in a dozen other cities. Deanna R. Adams’s book *Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection* compares the Agora to other famous venues of the era, describing it as Cleveland’s counterpart to San Francisco’s Avalon Ballroom and New York’s Bottom Line. The Agora’s floor plan allowed fans to experience live performances up close, fostering an electric atmosphere that artists and audiences loved. Artists like Bruce Springsteen, Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper, Roxy Music, Southside Johnny, and more came back to Cleveland time and again to play the Agora.
WMMS, Cleveland's leading rock radio station – and a national cultural force in its own right – also played a crucial role in the Agora's success. Disk jockeys like Kid Leo championed emerging rock acts and used their platforms to create buzz around upcoming shows at the Agora. WMMS’s Buzzard brand became synonymous with Cleveland’s rock identity, frequently broadcasting live performances from the Agora, and giving the club a regional and even national audience. Meanwhile, "Onstage at the Agora" became an internationally syndicated television show years before MTV brought rock music to the living room. At the Agora, attendees experienced a sense of community that went beyond entertainment, reinforcing Cleveland’s image as a “music town.”
As Cleveland underwent economic challenges and transformations in the 1980s, so too did the Agora. A fire broke out at the Agora in 1984 and forced the location to close. Due to a dispute with the property’s landlord, Cleveland State University, LoConti eventually opened the Agora in its present – omega? – form at East 55th and Euclid Avenue, formerly WHK Auditorium. Despite the apparent setback, the Agora, along with WMMS, continued to build its reputation as a proving ground for up and coming acts and bring a sense of cultural relevance to the city. Where once young Clevelanders had bemoaned having “no place to go,” the city now had rock and roll bragging rights.
The Agora’s legacy was ultimately recognized in the early 2000s, as Cleveland began to understand the importance of preserving its musical heritage. By this time, the Agora had solidified its reputation as a historical landmark, a status that attracted both financial support and media attention. The Agora was claimed to be “one of the hottest places to catch rock shows of every style and persuasion.” Seating an impressive 2,700 people in its theater and ballroom, the Agora was as welcoming as it was entertaining. The City of Cleveland acknowledged the Agora’s role in shaping Cleveland’s identity through renewal projects and official landmark status, recognizing it as more than just a concert hall but as a space where generations of Clevelanders have gathered to celebrate music and community. This support from the City of Cleveland, coupled with Cleveland’s broader efforts to promote its cultural assets, has allowed the Agora to continue evolving while honoring its roots.
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Devo onstage at the Agora, ca. 1978 During the late 1970s, Akron, Ohio became a hotbed for new rock and roll bands. Devo's 1980 song "Whip It!" became an international hit. Source: Agora Theater
Meatloaf and Ian Hunter at the Agora, ca. 1979 Meatloaf's seminal Bat Out of Hell album was released on Cleveland International Records in 1977. Hunter is best know for penning the local favorite "Cleveland Rocks" in 1979. Source: Agora Theater
Pere Ubu at the Agora, ca. 1977 Despite being one of Cleveland's - and America's - most unique and influential bands, Pere Ubu have never achieved great mainstream success. Source: Agora Theater
Crowds line up at the Agora Crowds line up at the Agora near Euclid Avenue and East 24th Street, 1970s. Source: Agora Theater
Site of "Agora Beta" Title In 1968, Hank LoConti opened the second Agora (briefly nicknamed "Agora Beta" while the original "Agora Alpha" was still operating near University Circle) in a former Clark Restaurant Company commissary. Located just north of Cleveland State University, the club was ideally situated to attract CSU students but soon transcended that function. Source: Cleveland Memory, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections Creator: Walker & Murray Associates, Inc. Date: 1965
The Third Agora at Night This location in the WHK Auditorium (originally built as the Metropolitan Theater) on Euclid Avenue in Midtown would be the one recognized as a historical landmark, obscuring the fact that the Agora's most significant contributions to building the rock genre had happened a mile to the west on East 24th. Source: The Observer | Case Western Reserve University Archives Creator: Caroline Multari Date: April 11, 2003
Location
5000 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103
