Jun 20, 20234 min read

Texarkana, AR: Municipal Auditorium

Address: 216 Walnut St, Texarkana, AR 71854

Built: June 1928 (auditorium finish date) in a combination of the collegic gothic and art deco styles

Built By: Stewart McGhee Construction Company

Status: Open for tours during city hall hours

Elvis Dates:

November 24, 1954

December 3, 1954

March 3, 1955

March 6, 1955

April 22, 1955

May 27, 1955

September 2, 1955

November 17, 1955

I Visited On: December 7, 2022 & June 10, 2023

My experience/what I learned

Heads up, the auditorium isn't in a great part of town. The old downtown area was built in the early 1900s-1930s around the popular and bustling train routes/station. When a main highway was built on the other side of town, it pushed the work and popularity down the road, leaving the auditorium in a now-forgotten part of Texarkana.

It's not plainly obvious how to get into the auditorium, because the main lobby doors are locked; but, if you go around to the city hall doors on the right-side of the building, then, during hours of operation, the city hall employees are usually more than happy to show you around when you ask.

The auditorium lobby has been turned into a fire department museum for the fire station on the left-side of the building, leaving the lobby doors locked. The auditorium, itself, isn't in perfect shape--pieces of the walls and ceiling are falling down, and it certainly doesn't help that the space is to big to efficiently air-condition, so they just don't, meaning this large auditorium in Arkansas hasn't seen climate control in years.

Regardless, the venue is still pretty freaking awesome. I was allowed to walk around the auditorium, the stage, and the hallway that leads up the to stage (the hallway is closed off at the back and backstage was converted into space for the first station on the building's left-side). The very kind city hall employee also walked us around to the spiral staircase that was used to get down to the dressing rooms that are in the basement. Elvis used those stairs!!!

History of the site

Construction on this multipurpose building started in 1927, with the mid-section/municipal auditorium reaching completion in June 1928 and with the right and left sections/fire station and city hall being finished and opened in 1930. The auditorium can technically seat around 950 people, but it was closed in the 1970s. The entire 3-section building underwent various renovations from the 1960s-1980s. The renovations included installing a false-floor in the auditorium, to raise the main floor up to stage-level, in order to create office space in the basement-level of the building where the orchestra pit and dressing rooms were.

On January 24, 2004, the building was put on the National List of Historic Places, which means that without proper funding to restore the auditorium, the center of this massive piece of history will sit and rot, getting worse every year.

Other people that have performed here: Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Mae West, and Lois Towles Caesar.

*Supposedly, this is where Col. Parker first saw Elvis in-person.

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Additionally, there's a little park to the left of the building where some wrought iron sculptures are. I didn't get a great look at it because it was down pouring at the time, but the music note sculpture is apparently dedicated to Elvis Presley.

Elvis history here

1. "Ms. Smith recallsElvis was driving a Chevrolet, possibly Scotty's, when he arrived at the auditorium. He wore black trousers and a black shirt open to the waist. Later, Elvis' stage antics were more than she could take. He had a pocketful of the thin "Italian" belts that were popular at the time, and he tossed them to the audience. He filled it up by removing his shirt."

2. Margie Marek (15 years old): "Quickly, Janet shot a picture of Elvis and me. She told us to move closer together and we did. Elvis pulled me tight against him and I sort of pulled back from him. His wrist watchband was almost penetrating through my back. Just before going on stage, Elvis put his hand under my chin and kissed me tenderly and oh, so gently, on the lips. That was the last time I was to be that closed to him. He turned and walked away, took a few steps, turned and looked back and smiled at me."

3. September 3, 1955: Newspaper article about September 2, 1955

"Fouke Man Hurt In Collision Of Car, Truck:

A collision near Fouke, Arkansas about 8:45 p.m. Friday resulted in slight injuries to J.B. Wiley, 54, of Fouke.

Wiley was treated for lacerations at St. Michaels Hospital and released.

According to Arkansas State Police, a car driven by Scottie Williams, a steel guitar player in Elvis Presley's band, hit Wiley's pickup truck about one mile north of Fouke as the truck was preparing to make a left turn. The truck knocked several feet by the impact.

Both vehicles were heavily damaged, the car driven by Williams, was owned by Presley. Officers said the car was in passing position at the time of the accident.

Presley and Williams were traveling to Texarkana to appear at the Municipal Auditorium."