Lowell Memorial Auditorium Celebrating 100th Anniversary

LOWELL, MA —Exactly 100 years after then-Vice President Calvin Coolidge —a former Massachusetts governor — presided over the opening of the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, the city will celebrate the venue's centennial on Wednesday.

The Centennial Celebration and Rededication of the historic venue is scheduled for 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the steps of the auditorium, located at 50 E Merrimack St. The event is free and open to the public.

The public also is invited to a free reception in the auditorium's Hall of Flags, which will feature a jazz quartet.

The celebration of the auditorium is presented by Lowell Mayor Sokhary Chau, the Lowell City Council and the Lowell Memorial Auditorium Board of Trustees.

Chau and LMA Board of Trustees President James O'Donnell are among the scheduled speakers at the event.

Dedicated on Sept. 21, 1922, the auditorium was designed by noted architectural firm Blackall, Clapp & Whittemore and cost approximately $1 million to construct. Special attention was paid to the acoustic properties of the venue.

The building, which contained the 4,000-seat main auditorium and the 675-seat Liberty Hall Theater, quickly became the center of civic life in Lowell, according to the city.

Over the years, the auditorium has hosted entertainment, conventions, civic and religious programs and Golden Gloves boxing.

Among the stars who have played the auditorium are: Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Olivia Newton-John, Dolly Parton, the J. Geils Band, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Martina McBride, Bruce Springsteen, and Dropkick Murphys.

Lowell Management Group took over the day-to-day management of the auditorium in 2018. In honor of the 100th anniversary, the group has planned a 100 Days campaign of programming that runs through the end of the year.

"This anniversary has been front and center in our planning since 2018 when we took over management of this magnificent facility," said Peter Lally, the president of Lowell Management Group.

Lally continued: "Lowell Memorial Auditorium is part of this historical fabric of the city. In celebrating the centennial anniversary, we want to shine a light on the unique cultural offerings and cultural community that makes up this great city."

Among the upcoming events at the auditorium are: the musical "Chicago" (Oct. 5), Jay Leno (Oct. 21), "On Your Feet," the Gloria Estefan musical (Nov. 9), the Irish Tenors (Dec. 4) and Boston Pops (Dec. 18).