Will Rogers Memorial Center
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Will Rogers Memorial Center | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. Historic district | |
![]() Will Rogers Tower and Auditorium in 1993 | |
![]() ![]() Will Rogers Memorial Center | |
Location | 3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth, Texas United States |
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Coordinates | 32°44′46″N 97°21′59″W / 32.74611°N 97.36639°WCoordinates: 32°44′46″N 97°21′59″W / 32.74611°N 97.36639°W |
Area | 120 acres (49 ha) |
Built | 1936 |
Architect | Wyatt C. Hedrick, Herman Koeppe, Elmer G. Withers |
Architectural style | Modern Movement, Art Deco |
NRHP reference No. | 16000122[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 22, 2016 |
The Will Rogers Memorial Center (WRMC) is an 120-acre (0.49 km2) American public entertainment, sports and livestock complex located in Fort Worth, Texas. It is named for American humorist and writer Will Rogers. It is the home of the annual Fort Worth Stock Show. It is a popular location for the hosting of specialized equestrian and livestock shows, including the annual National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity, World Championship Paint Horse Show, and 3 major events of the National Cutting Horse Association each year. It is also the former home of the Fort Worth Texans ice hockey team, and it hosted a PBR Bud Light Cup Series (later Built Ford Tough Series) event annually from 1995 to 2004.[2] Events at the WRMC attract over 2 million visitors annually. The complex contains the following facilities:
- Will Rogers Coliseum (5,652 seats)
- Will Rogers Auditorium (2,856 seats)
- Will Rogers Equestrian Center
- Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall
- James L. & Eunice West Arena
- John Justin Arena
- W. R. Watt Arena
The Memorial Center was built in 1936 and designed by architect Wyatt C. Hedrick, who employed the Moderne (Art Deco) style. Also in 1936 Amon G. Carter commissioned Electra Waggoner Biggs to create the statue Riding into the Sunset, a tribute to Will Rogers and his horse Soapsuds. Over a decade later, in 1947, the work was unveiled at the Center.[3] On March 22, 2016, the complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Dickies Arena, which opened in November 2019, is located adjacent to the complex. The new 14,000-seat venue will host the Fort Worth Stock Show rodeos, concerts and early-round games in the 2022 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament; however, Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum will continue to operate as an equestrian arena in Fort Worth.[4]
Gallery[]
Postcard of [Will Rogers] Coliseum, Memorial [Pioneer] Tower and [Will Rogers] Auditorium, undated
Interior of Will Rogers Coliseum, 2016
Exterior of Will Rogers Coliseum, 2016
See also[]
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Tarrant County, Texas
References[]
- ^ Staff. "Will Rogers Memorial Center". National Park Service. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ Cowtown Coliseum championship round bull power to be World Finals rank
- ^ Hendricks, Patricia D and Becky Duval Reese, A Century of Sculpture in Texas: 1889-1989, Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery, University of Texas at Austin, 1989 pp. 40-41
- ^ Matthew Martinez (April 17, 2017). "Dirt flies Tuesday on $450 million Fort Worth arena project". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Will Rogers Memorial Center. |
- Historic districts in Texas
- Art Deco architecture in Texas
- Equestrian venues in the United States
- Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States
- Sports venues in Fort Worth, Texas
- Buildings and structures completed in 1936
- TCU Horned Frogs basketball
- Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
- National Register of Historic Places in Fort Worth, Texas
- Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
- College basketball venues in the United States
- Basketball venues in Texas
- Rodeo venues in the United States
- Cultural depictions of Will Rogers