The Aud: a 1960 roof that still holds up Utica’s hockey business
The Utica Memorial Auditorium was built with the world's first pre-stressed dual cable roof. It is now the center of the city's sports and events business.
By Hannah Mohr
Utica’s arena has a 3,999-seat hockey bowl, room for 5,700 at concerts, and a roof that engineers still come to see.
The Utica Memorial Auditorium, known around town as the Aud and now named NBT Bank Arena, was built with the world’s first pre-stressed dual cable roof system, with struts between the cables. The designer was Lev Zetlin, who later worked with architect Philip Johnson on the New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair and on the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute building in Utica. In 2011 the American Society of Civil Engineers named the Aud a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
The building is the hub of a small sports business. It is home to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, Utica City FC of the Major Arena Soccer League, and Utica University men’s hockey. The arena, the connected Nexus Center, and both pro teams are managed by Mohawk Valley Garden.
For downtown Utica, home games mean crowds on weeknights through the winter, which is not something every small city can count on.