Milligan Auditorium Corporation [RG5028.AM]

HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG5028.AM:  Milligan Auditorium Corporation (Milligan, Nebraska)

Records: 1928-1946

Milligan, Fillmore County, Nebraska

Size:  2 folders and 1 reel of microfilm

BACKGROUND NOTE

The seeds for the building of a Czech auditorium in Milligan were planted in 1916 by Antonie Bulinova, an active member of the Zapadni Cesko-Bratrske Jednota (Z.C.B.J.) Rad Rabi.  Rabi was founded near Exeter in 1887 as lodge 135 of the Cesko-Slovensky Podporujici Spolek (C.S.P.S.), which moved its center to Milligan the next year.  The small wood frame hall it built in town in 1890 served as the only Czech meeting place there until construction of the auditorium.  Community members started raising money in 1916, but the war diverted attention from the effort.  A dozen years passed before the idea of an auditorium was revived.

On October 18, 1928, an association of Czechs signed the articles of incorporation of the Milligan Auditorium Corporation.  The goal was to build and operate “a community building wherein dances, theater entertainments, and all other legitimate public amusements may be carried on.”  The corporation raised money by selling stock.  A building committee eventually selected E.J. Kriz of Fremont as architect and R.O. Stake with superintendent Karel Urban as contractors.  Work on building the Milligan Auditorium (Cesko-narodni sin) began on October 25, 1929.  The dedication and opening of the building was held during a three-day celebration from April 25-27, 1930.  Over the years the Auditorium was used for dances, plays, Sokol gymnastics, concerts and meetings.  The Milligan Auditorium was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 and remains the social and cultural center of the community.

Note:  For more information about the Milligan Auditorium, see the National Register nomination form.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection consists of copies of architectural drawings and specifications for the Milligan Auditorium, 1929, and a reel of microfilm containing a minute book of the Milligan Auditorium Corporation dating from 1928-1946.  No original materials are part of this collection.

Note:  See the photo component [RG5028.PH] for related images.

INVENTORY

Reel 1 (26,894) – Milligan Auditorium Corporation minute book, 1928-1946

Folder

1. 1. Architectural drawings, Milligan Auditorium and Lodge, 1929 (see oversize)

1. 1. Architectural specifications, Milligan Auditorium and Lodge

Subject headings:

Architectural drawings

Architecture — Nebraska — Milligan

Auditoriums — Nebraska — Milligan

Czechs in Nebraska

E.J. Kriz Co., Architects (Fremont, Nebraska)

Milligan Auditorium Corporation (Milligan, Nebraska)

Milligan (Nebraska) — History

Revised TMM      05-24-2018