Jun 3, 20232 min read

Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Public Auditorium/Hall

Address: 500 Lakeside Ave

Location: 41.504061°N 81.694017°W

Opened: 1922

Status: Open, self-guided wandering

Elvis Dates: November 6, 1971

I Visited On: May 30, 2023

My Experience

There isn’t too much immediate parking near the building that is free, so don’t forget to bring quarters for parking meters.

When my mom and I got there, the front doors of the building were locked, so we went across the street the city hall and asked the man at the front desk. He was very kind and directed us to some doors on the right side of the building, near the front, that were open. We walked in and no one was at the front desk, so we just started walking around. Finally met the desk attendant in one of the hallways and she basically told us we could just wander wherever, so that’s exactly what we did.

We walked around the lobby, the ground floor of the auditorium, and even went up the long, steep hallways to the balconies. The building is absolutely gorgeous front top to bottom, and a definite must-see. If you’re really into architecture, I suggest you go across to the city hall just for fun, because DANG, the interior is beautiful.

Elvis at the site

https://www.elvis-collectors.com/ccshowrev44.html

History of the site

The largest of its kind at the time after two years of construction, the Public Hall holds 11,500 people in the main auditorium and keeps the style of the surrounding buildings of the time with a mostly original interior.

Not only has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held their induction ceremonies there a couple of times, but many performers have also graced the stage during its lifetime, including Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Supremes, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and the Rolling Stones.