After a multi-million dollar revamp, this Fort Lauderdale theater is ready to put on a show

By Amanda Rosa

January 21, 2025 6:30 PM

Fort Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium, a 1950s-era building, underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. While the Art Deco-style exterior was maintained, the inside is entirely updated. Courtesy of Florida Panthers

Fort Lauderdale’s newest music and entertainment venue is celebrating its major revamp with a series of rock concerts.

The newly renovated War Memorial Auditorium, located at 800 NE Eighth St. in Holiday Park, reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony in November. Since then, the venue has been rolling out its Grand Opening Series with its first concert featuring Grammy-winning singer Melissa Etheridge Tuesday night.

Rock band The Wallows will perform on Feb. 24. The Driver Era, a music duo including brothers Rocky and Ross Lynch, perform on March 7.

Grammy Award-winning rock singer Melissa Etheridge performed the first concert at the War Memorial Auditorium following its renovations Jan. 21, 2025. James Moes Courtesy of War Memorial Auditorium

Originally opened in 1950 to commemorate veterans in foreign wars, the 44,000 square-foot Art Deco-style auditorium is next door to the Baptist Health IcePlex, an ice rink and Florida Panthers practice facility. The Panthers operate the auditorium and IcePlex under a longterm lease agreement with the City of Fort Lauderdale. In 2019, the Panthers announced plans to revamp the auditorium and develop the IcePlex to create a family-family entertainment hub in the area, which cost about $100 million in the end, a spokesperson said.

Before the Etheridge concert, the auditorium was booked for several private events, including the Florida Panthers Stanley Cup ring ceremony.

“With the completion of the revitalized War Memorial Auditorium, we are extremely proud to now operate a small-scale multi-use entertainment district with a live entertainment venue, two sheets of ice, a retail store and full-service restaurant and bar in Fort Lauderdale’s largest park, Holiday Park,” said Panthers President & CEO Matt Caldwell in a statement.

Panthers President & CEO Matt Caldwell putting a newspaper in the time capsule during the War Memorial Auditorium ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 13, 2024. From left to right, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Basilio Fernandez of Lamartec, Live Nation’s Regional President of Florida, U.S. Concerts Brittany Flores and Matt Rossetti of Rossetti Architects were in attendence. Courtesy of Florida Panthers

Before the renovations, auditorium had “lost its luster,” serving as a venue for some gun shows and flea markets, said Florida Panthers Chief Operating Officer Bryce Hollweg. The city approached the Viola family, the Panthers owners, about a private-public partnership to restore the venue to its former glory as an entertainment hub.

While the auditorium’s Art Deco exterior and veteran-focused artworks were maintained and restored, the inside is “unrecognizable,” Hollweg said. Updates include an entirely new mezzanine level, bringing the capacity to 3,400 seats, VIP seating and a new industrial kitchen for private catering, Hollweg said.

The Florida Panthers celebrated the $65 million renovations of the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale with a ribbon cutting on Nov. 13, 2024. Rock singer Melissa Etheridge performed the auditorium’s first concert on Jan. 21. Eliot Schehter Courtesy of Florida Panthers

The auditorium fills a niche among Broward’s indoor music and entertainment venues, offering a medium-sized location for touring bands, comedians and artists, Hollweg said.

“We’re actually the only team, that we know of, in pro sports that has a training practice facility that’s co-located with a concert venue. This makes it extra special for us,” Hollweg said. “A lot of teams are just the team that plays games. Our organization goes beyond that.”