[11] The club led a campaign to persuade the all-male electorate to vote to borrow funds for the building in a 1911 city referendum.

The club and its supporters also successfully lobbied the Wisconsin legislature to change state law in 1913 order to allow the city to operate the auditorium as an income-generating property.

In addition to entertainment offerings such as plays, concerts, and films, the auditorium also hosted educational lectures, school graduations, and political rallies.

The city subsequently deeded the auditorium to the Richland County Performing Arts Council, a private non-profit organization.

[19][20][21] Richland Center hired architect Percey Dwight Bentley of La Crosse, Wisconsin to design the building.