Venue: Worcester Memorial Auditorium
Address: 525 Western Avenue
Town: Worcester, US
Capacity: 3,508

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 Worcester citizens who fought in World War I. 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 Leon Kroll commemorating the 355 soldiers and nurses from Worcester who fell during World War I. The Aud is a contributing property to the Institutional District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. 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. At the end of World War I, Worcester's leading citizens decided to construct a public auditorium to commemorate the 355 local residents who lost their lives during the conflict, and more generally to honor the sacrifices of Worcester residents in times of war. It took more than a decade to secure land for the building. When the original plans to construct an auditorium on the Common fell through, the present location at Lincoln Square was selected instead. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1933 at a cost of $2 million. A dedication ceremony took place on September 26, 1933, during which the Aud was declared "an enduring tribute to those whose sacrifice was sublime, a majestic memorial for the use and benefit of many generations". Throughout the twentieth century, the Aud served as the center of Worcester's civic and cultural life. Concerts, basketball games, high school and college graduations, fundraisers, and election day polling all took place in the main hall. Before the Hart Center opened in 1975, the building was