3/2/1994 - Voters reject bond 

Courtesy of the Burlington Free Press

The 1990s 

The 1990s brought a lot of change to Burlington’s city government that greatly impacted Memorial Auditorium and those who were responsible for its well-being . Bernie Sanders was no longer mayor and Peter Clavelle, a liberal democrat who worked with Bernie, took office from 1989-1993. It was not until Clavelle’s term ended that Memorial Auditorium experienced some major issues and media attention.

In 1993 Peter Brownell was elected to be mayor of Burlington. He was the first Republican mayor elected in Burlington in over 30 years and his win over Peter Clavelle was surprising and caused a divide amongst residents.[1] He had worked on the Burlington Finance Board throughout Clavelle’s term and was elected into office where he immediately proposed to reduce funding to balance the city's budget.[2] By this time Memorial Auditorium was beginning to experience massive issues with its infrastructure and was in need of repair.  However under Brownell, funding for Memorial Auditorium was cut as well as the funding for the Mayor’s Youth Council who helped run the basement space, 242 Main. [3] To prevent further depletion of the building, Burlington City Arts (BCA) created a deal with the city government to run Memorial Auditorium as long as they continued to receive city funding. [4] The funding allotted for operating the general maintenance of  Memorial Auditorium was $3,000 a year. [5]

Since BCA absorbed the responsibility of running Memorial Auditorium, they were in need of a manager. In August of 1993 they hired David Archer who immediately seemed like a godsend to the venue. [6] He instantly raised the cost of ticket prices and rent to the open spaces on the ground floor.[7] Additionally, he created fundraisers and events like " 2 Cents for Music" to help improve ticket sales and pay for new fixtures within the building. [8] He even helped double the city budget for Memorial Auditorium from $200,000 to $400,000 and raised an additional $400,000 for renovations. [9] In 1994 a bond for $1 million was proposed to city residents that would work to improve city-owned buildings. [10] This bond would have greatly impacted the state of Memorial Auditorium and helped to repair the roof and the stability of the building. City residents voted the bond on and it did not pass. [11] David Archer remained positive despite the loss and continued on with more fundraising with the intent to convince more popular musicians to perform there. [12] David Archer was being publicly praised for the work he had done and even received a raise for his efforts towards bettering Memorial Auditorium. [13]

Opinions on David Archer changed in 1995 when money appeared to be missing from Memorial Auditorium’s funds. [14] Archer was fired and was charged with embezzling over $4,000. [15] It was at this time that an outside firm hired to review the finances of Memorial Auditorium as the role of manager was placed back into the hands of BCA. [16]   

By the late 1990s, Memorial Auditorium was estimated to have over $1.5 million in repairs. [17] These repairs would go on to be neglected, while a new $20,000 exterior kiosk was installed to further attract visitors to the crumbling building. [18] Clavelle was back in office, and Archer's existence had been swept under the rug by city officials and a new manager was not hired by BCA.  Because of change in funding and Archer's downfall, Memorial Auditorium did not seem to recieve the same love it had been in the early 1990s. Although concerts and events continued to be held in the space on a regular basis, the future of Memorial Auditorium did not seem as bright as it was with Archer in charge.

9/18/2017 - Current sign outside Memorial Auditorium 

Conclusion

Memorial Auditorium stayed open throughout the 2000s, although it never enjoyed the same popularity that it had throughout the 1980s and 90s. Eventually, after staying open for 89 years and reviitalizing Burlington during the 1980s, the building was shuttered in 2016 due to budget constraints and issues with the building's infrastructure. Despite its closing, it has remained a place of importance in Burlington, with many citizens organizing to keep it open and running.

No matter what happens to the building, Memorial Auditorium did help define Burlinton during the 1980s, during a time of great political and social upheavel. It helped the youth in Burlington find their place in 242 Main, even as it helped define the Sanders mayoral administration, both in their achievements and downfalls. In the end, Memorial Auditorium helped Burlington define its own community for at least a time.

That alone is worth memorializing.