The Hippodrome
The Hippodrome, formerly known as the McElroy Auditorium, is a 5,155 permanent seat multipurpose arena located in Waterloo, Iowa. The auditorium was built in 1919 and renovated in 1936, when the roof was raised, floor was excavated and additional seating was added.
The arena was named in honor of R. J. McElroy beginning around 1965, after the Waterloo broadcaster and philanthropist unexpectedly died. In 2018, the name of the venue was officially changed back to The Hippodrome.
Arena Design
The auditorium has been in continuous operation since 1919, making it one of the oldest arenas in the country. The arena contains 234 classic arena style box seats and a art deco lobby. With chairs placed on the arena floor, the arena holds up to 7,000 seated for concerts depending on stage configuration. There are four large concession areas and a 150-seat restaurant. For concerts, remote beverage stations are added along with an old milk truck that has been restored into a "hot rod" style beer truck with 8 tappers. There are 6 large modern dressing rooms and 5 large box office windows.Usage
National Cattle Congress
The arena style auditorium, part of the National Cattle Congress complex, is used for trade shows, concerts, conventions, livestock shows, rodeos, meetings, sporting events and more.Sports
The Hippodrome hosted the Waterloo Hawks of the NBL, NBA, and NPBL from 1948 to 1951. The Waterloo Hawks are the only Big Four major league team to have been based in Iowa.The Hippodrome also housed the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks from their inception in 1962 until Young Arena opened in 1994, and the Iowa Stars of the Central Professional Hockey League during the 1969–70 season. The Hippodrome currently hosts the Iowa Woo team of The Arena League, which began play in 2024.