White Center Arena

The White Center Arena (now known as the Southgate Events Center) is a former boxing arena located at 9646 17th Ave SW in a suburb just south of Seattle. Many "blue collar" workers lived in this community, with many being employed at the nearby Bethlehem Steel Company. The arena was originally built in 1920 by Hiram Green, with the intent of using it as a boxing venue. The club was organized for boxing in 1926, with former heavyweight contender Floyd Johnson as its matchmaker. In January 1930, Ely Caston took over those duties. (Johnson had moved on to perform matchmaking duties for the American Legion Club in Seattle, per the Feb. 3, 1930 Vancouver Sun: [1].)

The club usually presented its weekly shows on Thursdays. By February 26, 1931, it was presenting its 54th straight weekly boxing show, per the West Seattle Herald: [2].

At this time, however, prize-fighting--professional boxing--was illegal in Washington state. State law did permit "Sparring or fencing amongst members of private clubs for exercise only or for the enjoyment of their fraternal brothers." Thus, virtually all bouts in the state were usually held in the various American Legion posts, Eagles, Elks, Knights of Columbus, and other private athletic clubs for their "members." Anyone wishing to witness a match was required to obtain a membership card and levied an assessment for the seat. The boxers were paid "training expenses." The authorities generally turned a blind eye to these bouts. When pressed, the promoters termed these bouts "amateur." But most of these fights are generally included in these boxers' official fight records. Prizefighting in Washington state was legalized June 8, 1933.

The club remained a boxing venue until March 1935, when Ely Caston switched his promotions to the Ballard Ice Arena. The premises then became a dance hall from 1934 to 1937, and had by then passed under the control of Green's daughter Ethel Brown and her husband Pop Brown. That dance hall closed down in 1937. The Browns reopened the place later that year as the Southgate Rollerdome. It then became the home of South Seattle roller-skating for some 70 years, as well as the home of the Seattle Roller Derby team--the Rat City Rollergirls. The arena was damaged by a fire in 2005; so the Rat City Rollergirls moved elsewhere in Seattle. The venue was rechristened in 2008 as the Southgate Events Center, which currently shows swap meets, flea markets, and the occasional roller derby.

History of the White Center Arena and its various incarnations: [3]

A chapter in the 2011 book A Dream, A Buck, An Era is devoted to this old-time boxing venue.