By William “Skip” Deegans
Recently, Charleston’s Municipal Auditorium was named to the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s Endangered Properties list for 2024. Earlier this year, the auditorium was shuttered unexpectedly and with no notice due to structural and electrical issues. The auditorium was completed in 1939 and described at the time as “one of the grandest and most monumental examples of the Art Deco architectural style to grace the skyline of Charleston for six decades.” The concrete and steel structure was designed by Charleston architect Alphonso F. Wysong and engineered by C. P. Fortney.
City councilman and charter member of the Community Music Association (3,000 members in 1935) Harry Silverstein was a motivating force to build the auditorium. It was funded by a $412,000 grant from the Public Works Administration, one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, and a $250,000 municipal bond. The original seating capacity was 3,569 (later reduced slightly to better accommodate accessibility). An additional 1,500 seats can be put on the 8,400 square foot stage. When completed, it was reported to be one of the largest performing halls in the eastern United States.
The famed French violinist Zino Francescatti performed to 4,000 at the inaugural performance on November 7, 1939. Although the facility was segregated, the Charleston Chapter of the NAACP, with help from Harry Silverstein, brought Marion Anderson to sing before an audience of 3,500 in 1940.
The auditorium has touched the lives of many West Virginians, especially children who came with their families to see the annual Shrine Circuses and Holiday On Ice performances. Major orchestras, including the Cleveland Symphony with George Szell, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy, and the London Philarmonic Orchestra with Hebert Von Karajan have performed there. Big bands include Sammy Kaye, Liberace, and Guyi Lombardo. Jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Al Hirt, Nat King Cole and Marilyn Horne came to Charleston. Through the years there have been hundreds of touring Broadway plays with actors like Betty Grable, Ethel Barrymore, Olivia De Havilland, Betty Davis, Gary Merrill, John Ireland, Tyrone Power and Faye Emerson. The 1950s and 1960s brought an avalanche of rock and roll stars including Elvis Presley, Chubby Checker, Paul Anka, Lavern Baker, The Coasters, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Bo Didley, and Fats Domino. Among the many country and western musicians who performed on the auditorium’s stage were Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Porter Wagner.
The auditorium has been used for a multitude of other events, including large church gatherings and gospel sings, beauty pageants, and political activities. Presidential candidates Wendell L. Wilkie, Thomas E. Dewey, Senator Robert Taft, and Harry Truman spoke at campaign events. In 1941, Eleanor Roosevelt spoke on the stage in an effort to raise funds to build a hospital in Miton for crippled children. For many years the building was home to the Charleston Symphony and Charleston Light Opera guild. In the 1950s, Morris Harvey College’s basketball team played their games on the stage.
In 1999, the Charleston Municipal Auditorium was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Although in many ways modest by today’s signage, the National Register nomination form notes “the name ‘Municipal Auditorium’ is cast in concrete and prominently emblazoned across the front of the building with large letters with an Avant Garde typestyle painted in deep red.” This West Virginia landmark seems worthy of saving.
Photo: Courtesy of the West Virginia University Regional History Center.
Sources: National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, Charleston Daily-Mail, Beckley Post-Herald, The McDowell Times.