MUSIC - A fool for your stockings by Z Z top

Minneapolis Armory - still standing Minneapolis Auditorium - demolished the Minneapolis Convention Center now sits on the site

I was born and raised in southern California. As a kid, I used to listen to Chick Hearn call Laker games on radio and TV. He would often mention the Minneapolis Lakers. I often wondered where the Minneapolis Lakers played. I did a lot of research and found their Minnesota homes. Two main ones to be exact. The first one you see is the old Minneapolis Armory. The second one will be the Minneapolis Auditorium. One still stands to this day, the other was demolished. Here is their story.

At 500 South 6th Street in downtown Minneapolis you will find a barrel shaped building sitting in the middle of skyscrapers and office buildings. This odd shaped structure is the Minneapolis armory. The armory was opened in 1936 to house the Minnesota national guard. The guard remained there for 44 years before moving out in 1980. However, the guard was not the only tenant. From the late 30's thru the 70's, the armory was host to many civic events in the Twin Cities. Political rallies, golden gloves boxing, the circus and concerts played under her roof. Janis Joplin and black Sabbath were just a few of the rock acts that shook the building. Besides the national guard, the other team that ran drills inside was the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA. Starting in 1947 and going thru the 1959 season, the Lakers used the armory as a part time home. Most of their home games were played at the Minneapolis auditorium during this time. For the 1959-1960 season, the armory would be their only home. Coincidentally, it was also the last year the Lakers were in Minneapolis. After the 1960 season, the team left the Twin Cities for the glitz of Hollywood and Los Angeles. Gone were the days of the likes of George Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, Clyde Lovellette, Slater Martin and Jim Pollard, all NBA hall of famers. One other hall of famer who played for the Lakers was a future coach. The hall of fame he is in is the NFL. His name is Bud Grant. Yes, the former Minnesota Vikings coach played for the Minneapolis Lakers from 1949 thru the 1951 season, before leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

After the national guard left in 1980, the armory was not used very much. Hennepin County bought the vacant armory in 1989 for 4.7 million dollars. The county was intent on tearing it down and putting up a jail on the site. However, the Minnesota historical society stepped in and sued to stop the demolition of the armory. In 1993 the Minnesota supreme court ruled the building could not be demolished. It was protected under state law because of it's historical status. In 1997, Hennepin County sold the building for 2.6 million dollars to a private company as a parking structure. It is still used as a parking garage to this day. In 1998 though, the band Aerosmith recorded their video for "I don't wanna miss a thing" inside the old armory. Rock on!

The Minneapolis armory was lucky, she was spared the wrecking ball, unlike a lot of other stadiums and arenas before and after her. So the building with the balcony along the southern wall that is patterned after a battleship bridge and murals painted by Lucia Wiley and Elsa Jemne still stands at the corner of S. 6th Street and S. 5th Ave. If you ride by, think of all the great games that took place under the barrel roof. Thanks Chick!

That brings us to the Lakers more permanent home, the Minneapolis auditorium. Born 1927 and died 1989. The auditorium was located at the corner of Stevens Avenue and S. 3rd Ave, about 8 blocks from the Minneapolis armory. It was constructed in 1927 as the second Minneapolis auditorium. The first one was built in 1905 and was at 11th Street and Nicollet Avenue. The first auditorium became the Lyceum theater, home to the Minneapolis symphony, after the second one was built. The Lyceum was razed in 1976 and the orchestra hall complex sits on the site.

The second auditorium housed the first professional sports team in the Twin Cities, the Minneapolis Lakers. The Lakers played most of their games inside the 10,000 seat venue. It had a much larger seating capacity than the old armory. It was also a nicer building. Built at a staggering cost of 3,150,000 in 1927, it was the showplace in Minneapolis. The Lakers played there from 1947 thru the 1959 season. Their last season in Minneapolis, they used the armory exclusively. In 1989 the curtain came down for the final time on the old auditorium. It was demolished to make way for the expansion of the Minneapolis convention center. Since it's demise, even the street it was on, Stevens Avenue, does not exist in that area anymore either. Pro basketball would return to the upper Midwest in 1989 in the form of the Minnesota Timberwolves. They began play in the Metrodome, home of the Twins. In 1990, the T-Wolves moved into the brand new Target center, which is about 7 blocks west of where the armory is. The Target center is at the corner of N. 6th St. and N 1st. Ave. in downtown Minneapolis. The Twins new ballpark is being constructed close by also. The Twins park is in the warehouse district just north of the Target center. It will be bounded by 5th Street, 7th Street, 3rd Ave. and I-394.

The Lakers had a relatively short stay in Minnesota, but the team did win 5 NBA championships in their 13 year stay. Half their venues may be gone, and the Lakers have been gone now almost 50 years. Youngsters of today probably have no idea the history behind both the since demolished auditorium and the still standing armory. To me, it's a proud history of Minnesota sports that should be preserved.

A footnote to the arenas. The Minneapolis Lakers also played a handful of games at the St. Paul auditorium in St. Paul. The auditorium still exists today and has been renamed the Roy Wilkins auditorium.