Sunday, August 9, 2015

The Dalles #73: War Memorial Civic Auditorium

323 East Fourth Street

IMG_6418 War Memorial Civic Auditorium in The Dalles, Oregon on June 10, 2009
War Memorial Civic Auditorium on June 10, 2009

This was the former site of the Wiley Livery Barn. Through a $125,000 bond measure, the city council purchased the property from Frank McCollough for $11,000 and built the War Memorial Civic Auditorium at a cost of $80,000. The Neo-Classical Revival-style building was designed by Portland architects Houghtaling & Dougan with a 1,000 seat auditorium, a banquet/ballroom with a floating dance floor, a gymnasium and meeting rooms. It opened in 1921, dedicated to the veterans of The Dalles and Wasco County.

IMG_9565 War Memorial Civic Auditorium in The Dalles, Oregon on October 20, 2009
War Memorial Civic Auditorium on October 20, 2009

The War Memorial Civic Auditorium hosted dances with famous bands and years of high school graduation ceremonies and was as a movie theater before closing for safety concerns in 1960. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1978. In 1991 a civic group began a restoration to return it to full-time use, and it reopened in 1999. The Dalles Theatre Company has used it for plays for many years.

Continue to 74: Vogt Hall

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