How Ovens Auditorium got its name

I’ve been to Ovens Auditorium over the years for a slew of shows, “Wicked” being my favorite. The venue is one half of the auditorium-coliseum complex that includes Bojangles’ Coliseum. And it’s one of the few places that can lure me onto Independence Boulevard.

“Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone™ In Concert” in October could have that effect, too.

But the auditorium’s name, “Ovens,” has nothing to do with any of the shows that come through, or the thought that Bojangles’ Cajun Filet Biscuits are hot out of the oven.

Ovens auditorium was named to honor David Ovens, who was vice president and general manager of J. B. Ivey department store. He also led the auditorium-coliseum citizen planning committee back in the 1950s.

Dan Morrill of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission has referenced Ovens as an “adroit merchant,” “noted philanthropist” and “lover of the arts” who lived from 1872-1957.

Ovens first came to Charlotte from Ontario in 1903 to manage a shop operated by the S. H. Kress Co., before becoming a junior partner with J. B. Ivey in 1905. Ovens helped turn Ivey’s, at first a small shop, into a major department store chain. He also established himself as a philanthropic leader through his work with the Good Fellows Club, Charlotte’s first Community Chest Drive, the American Red Cross and other charities.

Ovens did have a pet peeve — modern architecture. Particularly when an architect shaped buildings with the designs of small-town factories or parking garages. Which is ironic, because Ovens Auditorium is designed that way.

Nonetheless, Ovens helped the auditorium-coliseum citizen planning committee pull in public backing for Ovens Auditorium, formerly called the Civic Center, and the Charlotte Coliseum, which is now Bojangles’ Coliseum.

Ovens and the committee pushed for the construction of the new auditorium and coliseum to give Charlotte “a cultural and entertainment facility worthy of its status.”

In 1950, with A. G. Odell, Jr. appointed the architect at the committee’s recommendation to Charlotte City Council, and backing for bonds voted on by Charlotte citizens, construction on the Charlotte Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium moved forward. The complex was completed in 1955.

Since then, more than 15,000 events, collectively, have taken place at Ovens Auditorium and Bojangles’ Coliseum.

Take your pick from the shows coming up.

Photos: Courtesy of CRVA/Ovens Auditorium.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 11:00 PM with the headline "How Ovens Auditorium got its name."