Will Rogers Memorial Center


The Will Rogers Memorial Center is an American public entertainment, sports and livestock complex located in Fort Worth, Texas. It is named for American humorist and writer Will Rogers. It is the home of the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. It is a popular location for the hosting of specialized equestrian and livestock shows, including the annual National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity, World Championship Paint Horse Show, and 3 major events of the National Cutting Horse Association each year. It is also the former home of the Fort Worth Texans ice hockey team. Events at the WRMC attract over 2 million visitors annually. The complex contains the following facilities:
The Memorial Center was built in 1936 and designed by architect Wyatt C. Hedrick, who employed the Moderne style. Also in 1936 Amon G. Carter commissioned Electra Waggoner Biggs to create the statue Riding into the Sunset, a tribute to Will Rogers and his horse Soapsuds. Over a decade later, in 1947, the work was unveiled at the Center. On March 22, 2016, the complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Dickies Arena, which opened in November 2019, is located adjacent to the complex. The new 14,000-seat venue will host the Fort Worth Stock Show rodeos, concerts and early-round games in the 2022 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament; however, Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum will continue to operate as an equestrian arena in Fort Worth.