The Savannah Sports Arena was the fulfillment of one man’s dream. Aaron Newman was first known on the eastside as the proprietor of a sheetmetal business on Pennsylvania Avenue, but his passion was wrestling. With no auditorium willing to open its doors to the sport, Newman built his own arena on East Gwinnett Street to showcase sporting and entertainment events.
The Savannah Sports Arena, fitted out as an ice rink, opened with an extravaganza, the “Ice Follies of 1956,” starring skating stars Eileen Meade and George Von Birgelen. This husband-and-wife team became the instructors at the ice rink and soon fledgling skaters took to the ice in 50¢ sessions held every morning, afternoon, and night except Sunday. The rink was also the site of the first ice hockey game played in Savannah.
In addition to ice skating, the Sports Arena staged concerts with headliners such as Little Richard, James Brown, Connie Francis, and Loretta Lynn. Perhaps no performance at the Sports Arena rivaled that of Elvis Presley in 1956. Elvis sang hits such as “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Blue-Suede Shoes” to two standing-room-only audiences. For many teenagers, that night in the presence of the “King” became a cherished memory.
For seven years Newman put his dream on hold and leased the building to Webster’s Department Store, but in the mid-1960s, he once again brought sports to the arena. Sugar Ray Robinson was the best-known boxer to step into the ring but Savannah welterweight Gordon Lott was a home-town favorite who drew fans in large numbers. However, the 2,800 seats of the arena were never enough for the legions of wrestling fans who clamored to see Gorgeous George or Bobo Brazil. To bring national figures of the wrestling world to Savannah and to see the arena consistently sold out for Tuesday night bouts was the pinnacle of the arena’s success. Ultimately the opening of the Civic Center in 1974 undermined the arena’s viability as a venue, but during the 1950s and 1960s the Savannah Sports Arena establishment the eastside as a center for entertainment and athletic events.
Savannah Sports Arena
Courtesy of Kathryn and Jerry Oates.
The Sports Arena drew a wide range of Savannahians to its attractions, from children learning to ice skate and roller skate, to teenagers who loved rock stars, to sports fans eager to see wrestling and boxing. Even Mayor J.C. Lewis put in an appearance at a wrestling bout.
Skater Eileen Meade
Courtesty of Kathryn and Jerry Oates.
Eileen Meade, an amateur skating champion from New England, was an example of grace and athleticism for her students.
Skater Kathryn Oates
Courtesy of Kathryn and Jerry Oates.
Kathryn Newman Oates learned to skate under the tutelage of Eileen Meade and went on to skate with Holiday on Ice. No one was prouder of her accomplishments than her father, Aaron Newman.
Ice Hockey
Courtesy of Kathryn and Jerry Oates.
Several ice hockey games took place at the arena in the spring of 1957, but perhaps none were as exciting as the first. Two teams, made up of volunteers, took to the ice as the Hornets and the Rockets in a high-scoring game before a crowd of 500 people. The Hornets finally carried the day with a score of 9-6.
Elvis Presley Advertisement
Savannah Evening Press, 26 June 1956
Courtesy of the Savannah Morning News, with the assistance of Armstrong Atlantic State University.
Advertisements such as these brought out the fans to see Elvis Presley. Tickets for the concert cost $1.50 in advance and $2.00 at the door.
