Chattanooga's Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium.For 40 years after it opened in 1924, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium served as this city's civic center, trade center, largest concert hall, meeting place and auditorium. Over the years, it has held everything from Broadway shows to professional wrestling matches to auto shows to high school graduations.
Today, while it still hosts many of those same things, it appears that it has become a financial liability on the city, which owns and operates it, along with the Tivoli Theatre. The city has for several years now been looking at ways to either divest itself of running one or both of the facilities or finding ways to make them profitable.
It has been suggested that the city hand over operation of both to a nonprofit organization or to an outside entity such as AC Entertainment in Knoxville to manage and operate both. AC produces the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., but it also operates the Tennessee Theatre and Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, among others.
There are several issues to consider. First, the two buildings are not one and the same. And, while the auditorium loses money, the Tivoli does much better, even occasionally making a profit.
It can be argued that Memorial has outlived its purpose as a venue in many ways, or that other, newer facilities do some things better. The large area in the basement that once held trade and auto shows is rarely used since we have the Chattanooga Convention Center, for example.
The smaller Tivoli, on the other hand, serves in large part as the city's arts facility, hosting all manner of events by numerous local arts groups, including the symphony and ballets. Many wonder what will happen to those groups if they have to compete for dates, or if they have to manage their own venue, should it come to that.
Some would like to see the city keep the Tivoli but hand off the auditorium, while others worry this would be politically unwise since it might offend local veterans, whom the building honors.
There are many reasons neither facility is booked every night nor making tons of money. Limiting contractual clauses, needed upgrades, quirky concession rules, their sizes and a changing marketplace all are challenges. Some of which remain no matter who is operating them.
There seems little doubt that a change is coming. Here's hoping all sides are considered.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6354.