Worcester Memorial Auditorium

Worcester Memorial Auditorium (also known simply as "the Aud") is a multi-purpose arena located at Lincoln Square in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1933 to honor the sacrifices of Worcester citizens during times of war. The building includes a multi-purpose auditorium originally designed to seat 3,500–4,500 people, a smaller entertainment space known as the Little Theater designed to seat 675, and the Shrine of the Immortal, a war memorial with murals by renowned artist Leon Kroll commemorating the 355 soldiers and nurses from Worcester who fell during World War I.[1][2] The Aud was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as part of the Institutional District.[3] In 2009, Preservation Massachusetts included Lincoln Square on its "Most Endangered Historic Resources" list, because the square's three historic buildings – the Aud, the old Worcester County Courthouse, and the Lincoln Square Boys Club – were all empty or underutilized.[1][4]

Worcester Memorial Auditorium
The Aud
Map
AddressLincoln Square
Worcester, Massachusetts
United States
OwnerCity of Worcester, Massachusetts
Capacity3,508[2]
Current useVacant
Construction
Opened1933[1]
ArchitectFrederic C. Hirons and L. W. Briggs Company[5]

In 2016, the City of Worcester engaged the Boston-based Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF) to conduct a feasibility study of the Aud. AHF submitted its final report in February 2019, which recommended that the building become a center for digital innovation, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and the arts. Discussions between AHF and the City are ongoing.[6]

Main mural by Leon Kroll (1938–1941)
Memorial Hall doors
  1. ^ a b c The Aud Future Worcester Telegram & Gazette. September 20, 2009
  2. ^ a b Kiss the AUD Goodbye Worcester Magazine. May 10, 2002
  3. ^ "NRHP nomination for Institutional District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  4. ^ Lincoln Square is "Endangered Historic Resource" Worcester Telegram & Gazette September 22, 2009
  5. ^ "MACRIS Details - Worcester War Memorial Auditorium". Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  6. ^ "Worcester Memorial Auditorium". WORCESTER MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM. Retrieved 2019-05-28.