Constructed across America in the late 1930's as WPA projects, civic auditoriums remained centers of entertainment for decades. When Memphis performers wanted to earn money and expand their fanbase by touring locally, they often stringed together stops at civic auditoriums in towns nearby - including Elvis Presley, who lived and recorded just up the Blues Highway in Memphis. This auditorium hosted Elvis and so many others, and remains an example of Art Moderne architecture and government as a catalyst for arts in communities.