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(More customer reviews)To fully understand the grief many St. Louisans feel over losing The Arena, this book explains, in remarkable photos and firsthand accounts, why is was so hard to watch her go down in February 1999, after 5 vacant years of neglect.
70 years of sports and entertainment history, dotted by challenges from nature (tornado, fire, earthquake) and man (the Def Leppard rock tour threatened to literally bring the house down) make this tome a must-read for anyone who fondly recalls the castle-like home of the St. Louis Blues; several pro indoor soccer teams; and many other sports events, not to mention the touring ice shows and concerts that brought new generations inside the deep blue painted walls and tan glazed-brick lobby, topped by the world's largest lamella (Douglas fir latticework) roof.
Mind you, this edifice was built in 1929 for the sole purpose of hosting annual dairy shows...not hockey, soccer and ear-splitting music events with 20,000 rocking, stomping, screaming fans. Yet, in her transformation from dusty cow hall to gleaming hockey showplace, then back to aging, unkempt, old grande dame (when the city of St. Louis took it over), the Arena touched millions of fans who passed through her golden gates, sitting anywhere from the submarine-like parquet sections, from which you had to stand on a narrow curb and duck down for others to pass, to towering end balconies which rocked and swayed with the cacophony of the home crowd. Yet, for all of her limitations, she boasted the best sports sightlines of any such building in the country. Fans were right on top of the action, bringing out the best in athletes and entertainers every night.
The secrets this stately old building took to its grave would entice any mystery writer: Its numerous hidden rooms, stairwells, and spooky catacombs were home to packages and crates forgotten for decades, and its age and antiquity of design made just getting through any event without catastrophic power failures a test for all concerned. The building's chief electrician for 25 years comes off in the book as a miracle worker, milking demanding, modern day results from archaic construction and materials.
Yet, St. Louisans loved their Arena, which bordered land formerly hosting the famed Highlands amusement park, still dear in the memories of St. Louisans who grew up in, and before, the 50's. A day at the Highlands was often followed by a circus, rodeo, or ice show next door at the Arena, which shared its western land with a 72-lane bowling center.
As you marvel at the historic photos and laugh (or cry) at the starkly personal reminisces of local fans from several generations of Arena-goers, think of how blank the St. Louis riverfront would look without its signature Arch or Old Courthouse. That, my friend, is how the Oakland Avenue area looks to many longtime south St. Louisans so accustomed to seeing their 13 white, entrance archways sided by twin white towers, topped by a red and gray dome, like a huge, humpbacked whale beckoning locals for a great time, can now only look at an 8-acre hole, surrounded by 30-foot piles of fill gravel.
The hole left in our hearts and memories, brilliantly illustrated and described in this book, shall not be filled. But this wonderful book sure comes close.
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The St. Louis Arena Memories is the history of the Arena - told through memories. The Arena, originally built in 1929 to host the National Dairy Show, became the major exhibition building in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. The story of the Arena is told in chronological order and is supplemented with pictures from conception to implosion. The book also contains remembrances from people who lived near the building, who worked in the building, who owned the building, who performed in the building and, most of all, from people who were entertained in the building. The St. Louis Arena Memories tells the history of the Arena and a part of the social history of the city of St. Louis from 1929 to 1999.
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