Municipal Memorial Auditorium, 705 Elvis Presley Avenue, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, LA

2012 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Entry
Significance: Designed in 1928 and built in 1929, the Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport is considered to be the finest example of Art Deco architecture in the state of Louisiana. The principal designer of the building was architect Samuel G. Wiener, III, of Shreveport who is best known as Louisiana?s premier orthodox modern architect. The Municipal Auditorium was Wiener?s last major work before he immersed himself into the modern idiom. From the late 1940s until the late 1950s, the Auditorium hosted the nationally broadcast radio program, Louisiana Hayride, which was pivotal in launching the careers of Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. Municipal Memorial Auditorium was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on 28 May 1991 and was designated a National Historic Landmark on 6 October 2008.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1767
Survey number: HABS LA-56
Building/structure dates: 1929 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 91000624