Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, TN

The historic Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium was dedicated on November 11, 1922, Veterans Day, as Chattanooga and Hamilton County’s living memorial to those who have served in the armed forces. With seating for 3,866, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium is a great place for full-scale theatrical productions, music concerts, comedy shows, and community events. Built between 1922 and 1924 by John Parks (John Parks Company, General Contractors) at a cost of $700,000 and designed by noted architect R. H. Hunt, who also designed Chattanooga's lavish Tivoli Theatre, the auditorium honors area veterans of World War I. The building, located at 399 McCallie Avenue is about halfway between downtown and the UT Chattanooga campus. It occupies half of the city block bounded by McCallie Avenue, Lindsay Street, Oak Street and Georgia Avenue. By the early 1960s, Memorial Auditorium had fallen into disrepair. The building was closed in 1965, and reopened after renovations the following year. It closed again in 1988 for further restoration and modernization. The repairs cost over $7 million, and Memorial Auditorium reopened in 1991. In July 2007, the auditorium's historic concert pipe organ, dating to the building's construction, was rededicated after restoration by the Chattanooga Music Club over a period of 21 years. Efforts are now underway to ensure the instrument's continued use and preservation.