After my visit to the library (see previous post), I strolled down by the waterfront and came across what will soon be the former site of the War Memorial Auditorium-- home to the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Braves, Buffalo Bisons, Little Three Basketball, many circuses and ice shows, rock concerts, and I even once watched a tennis match there too. I'm probably forgetting some of the many spectacles that occurred there, but you get the idea. They are in teh process of razing the venerable old building and I'm glad I got a chance to snap a few pictures before it disappears altogether.
All that's left is the west end of the building, where you can make up the remnants of the Red, Blue and Orange sections which were once seats behind either the net or the basket. I know the Sabres had the longer tenure at the Aud, but my fondest memories are of going to watch Braves games there in the early and mid 1970s. We usually sat in the orange (upper deck) seats, and the arrangement was so steep that it was like you were looking straight down onto the court. I saw such stars as Bob Kaufman and Donnie May, Randy Smith ( a local boy made good), Dick Garrett, Elmore Smith, and later (when the expansion team turned a corner and became really good for a few years) Bob McAdoo, Adrian Dantley, Jim McMillan, Gar Heard, Ernie DeGregorio, and so many others. My brother Nick and I were Junior Braves and one time he won a contest to sit at the press table and be a part of the radio broadcast with the great Van Miller (my Mom and I got to sit courtside for that game).
I remember being fascinated by those sound absorbing cylinders hanging from the rafters (did they have them at other arenas? I never noticed). The greatest hockey game I saw there was the Calder Cup final around 1974 or '75, with the Sabres farm team at the time (the Cincinnati Stingers) winning a thrilling game and showcasing a number of future Sabres stars (I remember Rick Dudley in particular). I remember too that my friend Dave Block had seasons tickets for the Sabres in a section that might have been that in the lower right of the above picture.
This is all that's left of the wide front steps that that faced Main Street. What a kick it was to be swarming into the Aud in a big crowd, everyone excited about the upcoming game or concert. I remember going to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1985 (the
Born in the USA tour) and there being just an incredible amount of energy and excitement in the air, everyone knowing we were in for a great show, waiting for the doors to open.
The new arena (where the Sabres and Bandits have already been playing for what must be ten years or more) is flashier, and bigger, with all kinds of technical and comfort-oriented amenities, but it will never match the atmosphere of the old Aud, as creaky and utilitarian as it was. It was one of those magical places that defined Buffalo, and the memories will live on.
All that's left is the west end of the building, where you can make up the remnants of the Red, Blue and Orange sections which were once seats behind either the net or the basket. I know the Sabres had the longer tenure at the Aud, but my fondest memories are of going to watch Braves games there in the early and mid 1970s. We usually sat in the orange (upper deck) seats, and the arrangement was so steep that it was like you were looking straight down onto the court. I saw such stars as Bob Kaufman and Donnie May, Randy Smith ( a local boy made good), Dick Garrett, Elmore Smith, and later (when the expansion team turned a corner and became really good for a few years) Bob McAdoo, Adrian Dantley, Jim McMillan, Gar Heard, Ernie DeGregorio, and so many others. My brother Nick and I were Junior Braves and one time he won a contest to sit at the press table and be a part of the radio broadcast with the great Van Miller (my Mom and I got to sit courtside for that game). 
I remember being fascinated by those sound absorbing cylinders hanging from the rafters (did they have them at other arenas? I never noticed). The greatest hockey game I saw there was the Calder Cup final around 1974 or '75, with the Sabres farm team at the time (the Cincinnati Stingers) winning a thrilling game and showcasing a number of future Sabres stars (I remember Rick Dudley in particular). I remember too that my friend Dave Block had seasons tickets for the Sabres in a section that might have been that in the lower right of the above picture. 
This is all that's left of the wide front steps that that faced Main Street. What a kick it was to be swarming into the Aud in a big crowd, everyone excited about the upcoming game or concert. I remember going to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1985 (the Born in the USA tour) and there being just an incredible amount of energy and excitement in the air, everyone knowing we were in for a great show, waiting for the doors to open.
The new arena (where the Sabres and Bandits have already been playing for what must be ten years or more) is flashier, and bigger, with all kinds of technical and comfort-oriented amenities, but it will never match the atmosphere of the old Aud, as creaky and utilitarian as it was. It was one of those magical places that defined Buffalo, and the memories will live on.
1 comment:
Dr John,
Such a sad sight =( I think I may have sat in those upper orange seats at one time. I remember all those signs that were hung all over for the Sabre's games... I actually won tickets to an upcoming game with a poster... "The Buddy System: Having a Real Good Time" Real Cloutier (you need to pronounce his first name as Re' ale) had the nickname of "Buddy". Lots of fun with my friends - I remember the Braves games, Bruce, The Globetrotters, Ringling Brothers, Ice Capades.. and so much more
Lil' Sis
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