Memphis Historic Ellis Auditorium - and Market Place (original) (raw)

Memphis Ellis Auditorium

AKA Memphis Auditorium and Market House

Ellis Auditorium was located in downtown Memphis on the corner of Poplar and Front Street. The completion of the Auditorium in 1924 made Memphis one of the first cities in the nation to offer comprehensive meeting and convention facilities. The auditorium was way ahead of its time, offering 30,000 square feet of display space and seating for 12,000. It even featured a movable stage that was entirely electric. A period brochure boasted that the mechanical marvel took only 12 hours to move! The auditorium was so advanced, it would be 50 years before a new facility was needed..
Memphis saw a building boom beginning in 1920, with many new buildings going up. George Awsumb designed plans for a new auditorium and it was built not long afterwards at the North End of Front Street. When it opened, Memphis finally had a venue for Opera, Exhibitions, and large theatrical productions. Promoters hyped its removable, hardwood floor ('unexcelled for dancing") and its connections for steam as well as for hot and cold water. The original name for the structure was "Memphis Auditorium and Market House". It was a combination athletic arena, concert hall, convention center, and retail produce market. Apparently, Memphis city fathers didn't believe income from the entertainment halls alone would sustain the $3,000,000 investment, and during the first ten years of operation, the rental income from the market stalls actually earned more money than the rental of the hall for entertainment purposes.. *Construction 1924*
*- Click on small photos to see enlargements -*
*Foundation 1923* *New* *Auditorium 1920s* *Postcard 1930* *Demolition 1999*
The moving force behind the auditorium was Robert R. Ellis and after his death in 1930, the facility was renamed for him. However the major drive behind the construction of the building was mostly economic. Memphis had already become a significant distribution center by the 1920s. Many railroads and truck lines, along with the Mississippi River, made it one of the most accessible cities in the country. Business and government leaders of the time wanted to make the city a great place for conventions. When the new auditorium was dedicated in 1924, John Philip Sousa was the opening act. From this beginning and throughout its lifetime, Ellis hosted circuses, opera, symphony concerts, trade shows, movies, traveling theatrical shows, conventions, and big bands. In segregated Memphis, Blacks had a separate side entrance at the Auditorium and sat in a separate balcony. (The Harlem Globetrotters set record sales of more than 6,000 'white' tickets in 1953).

*Sousa* *Hepburn* *Martin* *Rachmaninoff* *Duncan* *Presley* *Barrymore*

Ellis Auditorium brought such legendary performers as Katharine Hepburn, Mary Martin, the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, and dancer Isadora Duncan to Memphis. This was also the Auditorium where Elvis first played to a sold out crowd. Almost all Memphis High School graduations were held here. Numerous touring productions also appeared, including the John Barrymore touring company. Barrymore�s alcoholism made every performance a test of nerves; he would skip lines, demand to see cue cards, or treat the play as a joke. And there were the six decadesof Memphis music that filled the halls.That's sixty years of Memphis music.

George Awsumb (1880-1959) was the architect for Ellis Auditorium. He was born in Norway, emigrated to the U.S. as a child, and reared in Wisconsin. Soon after winning the competition in 1919 for the Memphis Municipal Auditorium, Awsumb moved to Memphis from Chicago, where he had been a successful architect. In partnership with Charles O. Pfeil, the final auditorium design and construction was completed, as well as the plans for Humes (1926) and Southside (1927) High Schools and Idlewild Presbyterian Church (1929). The firm was also responsible for designing the Dermon Building(1925) and the 1948 Baron Hirsch Synagogue. Robert R. Ellis (1878 -1930) was President of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce who spearheaded the Auditorium project at the request of Boss Ed Crump. He was born in West Point, Mississippi, became a trained Pharmacist and drug store owner who moved to Memphis and founded the Ellis-Hessig Wholesale Drug Company. Later a merger with Van Vleet Drugs soon become Van Vleet-Ellis Drugs, Inc. His civic leadership was so well recognized, he was elected Vice-President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; a position he held until his untimely death at age 52.After his death in 1930, the Auditorium was renamed 'Ellis Auditorium' in his honor. Charles A. McElravy (1878 - 1961) was General Manager of Ellis Auditorium from its opening in 1924 until his retirement in 1951. His many responsibilities included booking the talent, drafting the contacts, insuring each shows success, etc. The Auditorium was profitable the last 22 of his 27 year career. McElravy died in 1961. In his honor, 'The Charles A. McElravy Award' was created in 1963, honoring the International Association of Auditorium Managers pioneer and citing current members "for contributions to the IAAM and the profession of auditorium management." It is a very prestigious International Award. Click here to read an article by Charles McElravy, summing up his years in the business. Published in Billboard Magazine in 1951.

David Richard Williams (1863 - 1936) The first Ellis Engineer. Williams began his career as engineer for Chickasaw Cooperage Co, and then became Chief Engineer for the Gayoso Hotel, where he installed a large plant. Afterwards he went to Chicago as Chief Engineer for a major hotel as well as in charge of the Machinery Hall for the 1893 World's Fair. In 1925 when the Auditorium opened he returned to Memphis as Chief Engineer. At the time of his death he had been the electrical expert with more than 22 leading hotels in the US and Australia. Click here for David Williams 1936 Obit.

During 1956-57 Ellis was remodeled-updated and a new entrance was added in the early 1960s_._ In 1974 the Cook Convention Center was built adjacent to the auditorium. But the city no longer properly maintained old Ellis. The plaster began chipping off the ceilings. The electrical and mechanical systems became outdated. The auditorium's North and South Halls had been neglected for so long that the Convention Center Board of Directors decided that renovation was no longer an option.

New Entrance in the 1960s 1974 Cook Convention Center 2003 Cannon Center for Performing Arts After 75 years of continuous entertainment, Ellis was razed in July of 1999 for the expansion of the Cook Convention Center and to make way for the new Cannon Center for Performing Arts which opened in January 2003. Prior to the implosion of the old building, architectural terra cotta pieces from the nautical design of the building were salvaged and sold to collectors. The last performance at Ellis was Bruce Springsteen, November 1996. <> Just when you thought you knew everything about the old auditorium... Ever wonder why Ellis had a Poplar Street address instead of a North Main address? Ever wonder why there was extra frontage on Main Street that was never used? That extra frontage clearly shows in the dedication photos taken in 1924. Well... < This vintage postcard, mailed in 1931, is an illustration, which shows porticos on both sides of the auditorium. These porticos were not on the building when it opened in 1924 and they don't show in the "under construction" photo above. This partially explains why the auditorium had a Poplar Street Address. But there was still that unused extra frontage on Main Street, which always seemed like an "after-thought". During research, we learned that in 1924, the United Confederate Veterans held their annual convention at the new Auditorium on June 4-6, 1924, four and one half months _BEFORE_ it officially opened. Those Confederate veterans at the convention were issued badges. Take a close look at their badges. >On the badge is an equestrian statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest and, of course, the Confederate flag. But at the top is an engraving of the new auditorium building, which clearly shows the two side porticos that appear in the postcard above. But wait! It also shows a great extension and Grand Entrance on the Main Street side - just where that extra frontage is located. The badges were obviously made in advance of the convention and were based on the architect's drawings. Sometime between those drawings and the construction, a decision was made to eliminate the side and front porticos - perhaps due to cost overages. Because of these badges, we now know what was originally planned for the Auditorium - or what might have been. It answers some questions but opens up a lot more. *Main Street Grand Entrance* - Thanks to Dave French for discovering the Postcard and the Badges From these architect's drawings (below), published in 1919 and 1923, we've now learned that the North and South Porticos were still part of the auditorium design, but the Grand Entrance on Main Street had already been eliminated before construction began on the building. Click on the photo to see the drawing as it appears in the 1923 article about major musical talent being booked into Memphis during the 1923 season. *1919 Architect's Drawing* *1923 Architect's Drawing with North-South Porticos - No Grand Main Entrance* < Two very revealing Postcards. The postcard on the left is from 1925-26 and shows the finished Auditorium - minus the North and South Porticos and with that "extra frontage" on Main. The card on the right is from 1920 and is obviously an artist's rendering. It shows the planned North and South Porticos and a Grand Entrance on Main which would exactly fit that "extra frontage" on Main. Did the city plan to add this Grand Entrance later? _Main Street extra frontage - 1925s_ _1920 - Artist's Rendering Postcard_ The final chapter actually found us in August of 2012, when we received the 50 page booklet "The Story of the Memphis Auditorium" from the "Greater Memphis Chamber". In the booklet we learned that the grand front portico on the Main Street side was actually meant to be City Hall. So our Auditorium was originally planned as a combo-building - Auditorium-Market Place-City Hall. That might have happened if the construction hadn't taken so long (partially due to WWI). Before the architect's plans were finally agreed upon, it was already certain "that the funds available would not be sufficient to provide quarter for officials of the city, without detracting from the appearance and conveniences of the auditorium proper. The Commission therefore abandoned the city hall plan and instructed the architect to revise his building plans in such a way that quarters for city administration might be added in later years if deemed advisable". 1926 Booklet Cover: Story of Memphis Auditorium The same was true of the porticos on the north and south sides of the building "...will adequately perform the function suggested by the designer, but may, if lack of funds demand, be omitted without serious detriment to the architectural beauty and utility of the building". So that front foundation on Main was "available" if the city ever found funds to add their City Hall and the north and south porticos were simply omitted all together. In the meantime Memphis submitted the architects original auditorium drawings to the United Confederate Veterans who simply used them in designing the medals for their 1924 Reunion. Plus the city was apparently so proud of their grand plan that they submitted the same drawings to postcard manufacturers. Click on the Program Cover (above) to see and read the entire booklet "Story of the Memphis Auditorium" August 2013 Update. Once again when we thought we knew it all: This very rare medal for the 1930 Memphis Convention of the Tent and Awning Manufacturers (on the right) was discovered on eBay by Historic-Memphis.com team member Dave French. The convention was held at Ellis and that original design for the auditorium with the North, South Porticos, and the Grand Entrance on Main is still used on this medal 6 years after the auditorium opened. It brings up more questions than answers: Did the convention organizers go to the same medal design company that the UCV had used? Did the City of Memphis furnish the original design drawing to the Tent-Awning Manufacturers by mistake? Did the City of Memphis still have plans to build that Grand Entrance? > Another Update ... September 2013: This medal for a 1940 Shriner's Convention in Memphis was recently found on eBay by Dave French. Once again it continues to show that original design for the auditorium with the North, South Porticos, and the Grand Entrance on Main, which is still being used on a medal 16 years after the auditorium opened. We continue to have those unanswered questions and we will continue digging until we have the answers. >

Ever wonder what was on the Auditorium site before Ellis was built? The Overton Hotel opened on the corner of Poplar and Main in 1866 and was used by both sides during the Civil War. The Grand Duke of Russia stayed here in 1872. In 1874 it was sold to Shelby County and was used as a Courthouse until 1919. When the city purchased the building, they knocked off the top floor but left the two front corner sections as "towers". The historic building was demolished and Memphis Ellis Auditorium was built on the site in 1924. *Shelby County Courthouse*
*The historic Ellis Auditorium lives on through the collection of photos, publications, and memorabilia posted below.* *Special thanks to the Memphis Public Library for many of the photos on this page.*



Memphis Auditorium and Market House Interior Photos *1926 Market* *North Hall Market* *North Hall 1926* *North Hall* *Ellis South Hall 1944* *Auditorium Market* *Auditorium Market* *Market 1924* *Market c. 1924* *5000 at Gospel Concert* *Kimball Organ* *Smaller Organ* *Organ Pipes* *Committee Room c 1924* *Entrance c. 1924* *Ellis - 1954* *1937 Flood Refugees*




Vintage Photos of the Performers ... *WPA Band 1930* *Radio Show 1944* *CBC Band 1948* *CBC Band 1949* *Ray Charles 1961* *Agnes Moorehead* *Van Cliburn 1972* *James Brown 1961* *'61 Kingsbury Graduation* *Elvis 1956* *Benton-Elvis '57* *Elvis 1955* *Ed Sullivan Show '53* *Marguerite Piazza 1953* *Maid of Cotton 1954* *Maid of Cotton 1962* *Brown-Day-Hope '48* *Day-Hope '48* *Blackwood Brothers* *Preston-Martin Nureyev* *Hendrix 1969* *Passion Play '52* *Passion Play '52* *Elvis-BB King '56* *Gorgeous George* *Elvis 1962* *Elvis 1956* *Steve Martin 1978* *Liberace 1954* *Howlin Wolf 19600* *Dylan 1966* *Elton John 1971* *Jack Benny 1973* *Roy Rogers 1950*

1924 Dedication Program Opening Act:: John Philip Sousa ... and The San Carlo Opera Co ... and Dancing Divertissements Click on the Cover to see the entire Program *1924 Program Cover* 1925 Convention Brochure Shortly after the opening of the Auditorium, the Memphis Chamber of Commerce prepared this very nice photo brochure about Memphis to entice conventions to the city. Click on the Cover to see the entire Program *1925 Program Cover* PROGRAMS...Posters and Flyers... from 1924 to 1999 1920's *1924 Dedication* *Paul Whiteman 1925* *Paul Whiteman #2* *Paul Whiteman #3* *1924 Ad* *< ........................ 1926 - Memphis Civic Music League - Opera Series ............................. >* *1926 Series* *1926 Series* 1924 UCV Convention 1924 UCV F *lyer* *1929 Arch.Expo* *Music League 1925* 1930's *Grace Moore 1934* *Dance 1934* *Dance 1936* *Program 1935* *Roller Derby 1939* *Tech HS 1939* San Carlo 1938 *Salzburg Opera 1937* *Ballet Russe 1936* *Program 1937* 1940's Ice Capades 1943 *CBC Concert 1949* *Ballet Russe 1942* Tech HS 1949 *San Carlo Opera 1944* *Berl Olswanger 1946* *Berl Olswanger-2* *Berl Olswanger-3* *Berl Olswanger-4* *Bob Hope c.1948* *Bob Hope c.1948* *Agnes Moorehead 1943* *Humes High 1946* *Passion Play 1946* *Met Opera 1948* Veloz-Yolanda 1945 - Complete Program *1947 Harvest Stars* *1944 Aida* *1948 Helen Traubel* *Horse Show 1941* *1948 Circus* *1940 Marta* 1_948 Traviata_ 1950's *Passion Play 1952* *Passion Play 1952* *Passion Play 1952* *Elvis 1955* *Elvis 1955* *Jane Bischoff 1953* *Liberace 1954* *Liberace 1954* *Skating Vanities 1957* *Berl Olswanger* *Berl Olswanger* *Met Opera 1954* *Met Program 1954* *Maid of Cotton 1951* *Amateur Hour 1951* *Wrestling 1959* *Wrestling 1958* *Tyrone Power 1958* *Clyde Beatty Circus* *Sonja Henie 1954* *Humes HS 1953* *Tech HS 1951* *Tech HS 1951* *Circus* *Holidy on Ice 1954* *Holidy on Ice 1957* *Holidy on Ice 1958* *Holidy on Ice 1959* *Sadler Wells Ballet* *Rock n Roll 1955* *My Fair Lady 1957* *Helen Traubel 1952* *Strike a Match 1953* *1951 Faust* *1952 Rigoletto* 1960's *Holiday on Ice 196* 0 *Gospel Convention 1963* *Man of La Mancha'68* *Tech High 1969* *Hendrix 1969* *Paris Orchestra 1968* *Holiday on Ice 1962* *Quartets 1964* *Treadwell HS 1960* *Howlin' Wolf* *Mphs Symphony 1965* *1963 How to...* 1970's *East HS 1972* *David Bowie 1972* *Van Cliburn 1972* *Freddie King 1972* *Messick HS 1973* *Steely Dan 1974* *Davud Bowie 1973* *Bowie Flyer 1973* *Allman 1972* *Trapeze 1972* *The Who 1970* *Cactus 1971* Memphis Opera 1970 *Springsteen 1976* Civic Ballet 1970 *Jack Benny 1973* *Tech HS 1970* *Met. Opera 1978* *Beach Boys 1973* *Met 1979* *Steve Miller 1973* *Awards 1971* *Nitty Gritty DB 1972* 1980's *Showboat 1980* *Showboat 1980* *The Met 1983* *1980 The Met* *Met 1984* 1990's 9 Inch Nails 1994 *Baryshnikov 1991* Please scan your program covers and send them in so they can be added to this page > gene.gill@verizon.net

Ellis Auditorium Memorabilia

*Ellis Seats* *Roof Decor* *Roof Decor* *Roof Decor* *Roof Decor* *Roof Decor* *Els* *David Bowie 1972* *Elvis 1961* *Mazie Dimond and mural* *Organ-Today* *Cheap Trick'79* *C. '49-'50* *Billy Joel 1974* *Elvis 1956*
These 9 terra-cotta architectural ornamentation medallions from Ellis now hang at the Cannon Performing Arts Center. These 9 terra-cotta architectural ornamentation medallions from Ellis now hang at the Cannon Performing Arts Center. *Wrestling Ads* Flyer: Doll's House 1945 *Recorded at Auditorium: Jug Band 1927 -Tom Johnson 1928 -The Memphis Area 1927-32.* 19 *30 Ad for "Cherries are Ripe"* *NGDB '76* *Steve Martin '75* *DaveMason '70* *Dolphin Decor* *Market Ad - 1925's* *1927 "Convention City" License plate* *First photo ?? - 1924* *1934 Grace Moore Reviews* *Colonel Memphis* " New" Flyer c. 1960s *Elvis Charity* Event 1961 Sousa 1924 1937 Ticket Press Scimitar "Amateur Hour" Articles - 1951 (BIG FILES) Amateur Hour 1951 Ernestine Lomax wins. 1951 1960 Ad Blackstone 1946 Wrestling 1968 Wrestling 1968 Auto Show 1934 RARE: 1925 Tickets 1944 Quiz Kids Ticket 1967 Minstrels Springsteen Pass 1978 1957-1960s Ellis is "new" again Old Ellis was finally remodeled and updated over a several year period from 1956-early 1960s. There are no exact dates because it was "business as usual" during the remodel. The upgrades included the addition of escalators, plus new lighting and new sound equipment. But the major improvement was a "Sound Curtain". When this was lowered, it allowed two different events to go on at the same time in the two different halls - newly named "Music Hall" and "Amphitheatre". The improvements are described in the Billboard article and the Brochure published by the Memphis Chamber of Commerce. Click on the Brochure Cover to see the entire Brochure** 1956 Billboard *Brochure* *Cover* Note: True to Memphis' inclination toward name changes, the "Music Hall" name was later changed to DeFrank Hall and the "Amphitheatre" name was later changed to Dixon-Myers Hall.