Stambaugh Auditorium

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Stambaugh Auditorium as it appeared in 1920s.

Stambaugh Auditorium is a public auditorium located in Youngstown, Ohio.

Stambaugh Auditorium opened in 1926, financed by Henry H. Stambaugh, one of the city's leading businessmen in the early 20th century.^[1] The centerpiece of the complex is the concert hall, which can hold a capacity crowd of 2,554. The auditorium also features a 9,700 square foot ballroom, a smaller recital hall, and a garden at the southern end of the building, all of which can be rented out for private functions.^[2] Audiences and performers alike have praised the acoustics of the concert hall, which was designed for symphonic music performances. The auditorium was built in the Greco-Roman style.^[3]

Stambaugh's is located north of the Youngstown's downtown area. It faces once-fashionable Fifth Avenue, which was among the city's most exclusive residential districts in the 1920s. At the time of the auditorium's grand opening, residents of the neighborhood included chief donor Henry Stambaugh.^[4]

[edit] Events

In addition to hosting private functions (wedding receptions, banquets, and other private celebrations), Stambaugh Auditorium has served as a venue for entertainers performing in the Youngstown area.^[5] The sole resident organization at Stambaugh is the Henry H. Stambaugh Youth Concert Band.^[6]

Stambaugh Auditorium routinely attracts audiences with its Monday Musical Club, which hosts traveling musicals and orchestras throughout the year. (These events are rarely held on Mondays, as the name would suggest). The auditorium also has also hosted prominent comedians and musicians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan. Despite the recent opening of Youngstown's Chevrolet Centre, which has become a venue for national and international performers, Stambaugh Auditorium continues to host major entertainment events.^[7]