Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium is a historic performance hall in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Built between 1922 and 1924 by John Parks (John Parks Company, General Contractors) at a cost of $700,000 and designed by noted architect R. H. Hunt, who also designed Chattanooga's lavish Tivoli Theatre, the theater honors area veterans of World War I.

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Joe Steele
In March 1937, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium was the site of Captain Roland Laurence South's attempt on the life of President Joe Steele. [

Steele was at the Auditorium to give a speech to celebrate the completion of a dam in the Tennessee Valley. Captain South, who'd grown horrified by Steele's repression arranged to be in the front row for the speech. South was noticeably agitated as he waited for Steele. When President Steele began speaking, South pulled out his service pistol and began firing. South fired twice at Steele, hitting and wounding him once, then a third wild round in his general direction and a fourth into the ceiling as he fell to the Secret Service's returned fire. Fortunately, President Steele survived with just a flesh wound that cracked a rib.