The Kiel Auditorium replaced the St. Louis Coliseum as the city's main indoor arena.

[2] A unique feature of the auditorium was that it was split into two; the front of the building was the Kiel Opera House.

From the 1950s until the 1970s, the Kiel Auditorium was behind only Madison Square Garden as North America's most famous wrestling arena, hosting three NWA World Heavyweight Championship title changes from 1959 until 1986.

The building was demolished in 1992, but not before hosting the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament the preceding year.

The Opera House portion of the building, on the northern part of the property, facing Market Street, was not torn down.