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There isn't a better arena in the ABA than Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium. Located in the heart of downtown and within an easy stroll of the Power & Light District, Municipal Auditorium is a basketball fan's paradise. The 10,000+ seat arena comes complete with a Daktronic scoring system and two 9' x 12' Mitsubishi LED boards for all your Stars highlights.
Municipal has hosted the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament since 2003, held every year in early March. It is currently home to the NAIA Men's Division I Basketball National Tournament. It was played here from 1937-1975, when it moved into Kemper Arena, and has been home since the Tournament moved back to Kansas City from Tulsa in 2002.
As of 2007, Municipal Auditorium had hosted more NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games (83), regional finals (13) and Final Fours (9) than any other facility. The arena also hosted three of the first four Final Fours. Along with the Stars, it is also home to the University of Missouri–Kansas City Kangaroos basketball team.
History
Municipal Auditorium was one of the buildings built in 1934 as part of a "Ten Year Plan" championed by various local politicians including Harry S Truman and Thomas Pendergast. Other buildings in the plan included the Kansas City City Hall and the Kansas City branch of the Jackson County Courthouse.
It replaced Convention Hall which was directly across the street and was torn down for parking in what is now called the Barney Allis Plaza.
The art deco architecture features were a characteristic design by Hoit Price & Barnes which also designed the Kansas City Power and Light Building at about the same time. The other architect firm in the design Gentry, Voskamp & Neville was to design the Truman Library.
When the building opened in 1935, it was called by the Architectural Record "one of the 10 best buildings of the world that year." In 2000, the Princeton Architectural Press called it one of the 500 most important architectural works in the United States.
