Opened in 1905 as the Jefferson County Armory, the Louisville Gardens recently celebrated its 100th anniversary as city mayor Jerry Abramson's official "Family-Friendly New Years Eve" celebration location. The facility has served the city of Louisville and Jefferson County in a variety of ways during the past century, from utilization as an actual armory to ABA Kentucky Colonels basketball games to various wrestling events. Elvis Presley concerts, political rallies, and Hurricane Katrina flood relief have also been staged there. More recently, the WWE used the 3,000 person capacity arena as a training ground for future stars in a minor-league promotion known as Ohio Valley Wrestling. Freedom Hall replaced the small, aging facility in 1956 as a more popular venue for city events. For other places with the same name, see Louisville (disambiguation). ... Jefferson County is the name of 26 counties in the United States. ... The American Basketball Association (ABA) was founded in 1967 and eventually merged with the National Basketball Association. ... Kentucky Colonels Logo This article is about a professional basketball team. ... Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known as The King of Rock n Roll, was an American singer, song producer and actor. ... Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh-named tropical storm, fourth hurricane, third major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling promotion, currently the largest in North America. ... Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American independent circuit professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Freedom Hall is a multipurpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky on the grounds of the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. ...

The Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament was held at the Jefferson County Armory from 1941-1952. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the southeastern United States. ...