Will Rogers Memorial Center

Will Rogers Memorial Center
Will Rogers Tower and Auditorium in 1993
Will Rogers Memorial Center
Will Rogers Memorial Center
Location 3401 W. Lancaster Ave.,
Fort Worth, Texas
Coordinates 32°44′46″N 97°21′59″W / 32.74611°N 97.36639°W / 32.74611; -97.36639Coordinates: 32°44′46″N 97°21′59″W / 32.74611°N 97.36639°W / 32.74611; -97.36639
Area 20 acres (8.1 ha)
Built 1936 (1936)
Architect Wyatt C. Hedrick, Herman Koeppe, Elmer G. Withers
Architectural style Modern Movement, Art Deco
NRHP reference # 16000122[1]
Added to NRHP March 22, 2016

The Will Rogers Memorial Center (WRMC) is an 85-acre (0.34 km2) public entertainment, sports and livestock complex located in Fort Worth, Texas (USA). The complex is named for American humorist and writer Will Rogers. The WRMC is the home of the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. It is a popular location for the hosting of specialized livestock shows, including the annual World Exposition of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, the annual World Championship Paint Horse Show, and 3 major events of the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) each year. It is also the former home of the Fort Worth Texans ice hockey team. Events at the WRMC attract over 2 million visitors annually. The complex contains the following facilities:

  • Will Rogers Coliseum
  • Will Rogers Auditorium
  • Will Rogers Equestrian Center
  • Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall
  • James L. & Eunice West Arena
  • John Justin Arena
  • W. R. Watt Arena
Will Rogers Coliseum Interior, 2016

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.[2] On March 22, 2016, the complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum will not be replaced by Dickies Arena, which is scheduled to open in November 2019. 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.[3]

See also

References

  1. Staff. "Will Rogers Memorial Center". National Park Service. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  2. 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
  3. Matthew Martinez (April 17, 2017). "Dirt flies Tuesday on $450 million Fort Worth arena project". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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