![]() ![]() In founding the Armadillo World Headquarters, Wilson was assisted by Jim Franklin, Mike Tolleson ( né Robert Michael Tolleson born 1942), an entertainment attorney licensed by the State Bar of Texas in 1968, Bobby Hedderman from the Vulcan Gas Company and Hank Alrich. He initially proposed "International Headquarters" but in the end it became "World Headquarters." Wilson also believed the building looked like it had been some type of headquarters at one time. The nine-banded armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus) was chosen because of its hard shell that looks like armor, its history as a survivor (virtually unchanged for almost 50 million years), and its near-ubiquity in Central Texas. In choosing the mascot for the new venture, Wilson and his partners wanted an "armored" animal since the building was an old armory. The name for the Armadillo was inspired by the use of armadillos as a symbol in the artwork of Jim Franklin, a local poster artist, and from the building itself. Posters for the venue usually noted the address as 525 1⁄ 2 Barton Springs Road (Rear), behind the Skating Palace. The building was ugly, uncomfortable, and had poor acoustics, but offered cheap rent and a central location. The armory was estimated to have been built in 1948, but no records of its construction could be or have been located. He had a desire to continue the legacy of the Vulcan Gas Company, and was inspired by what he saw in the armory to create a new music hall in the derelict structure. Wilson found an unlocked garage door on the building and was able to view the cavernous interior using the headlights of his automobile. One night, Eddie Wilson, manager of the local group Shiva's Headband, stepped outside a nightclub where the band was playing and noticed an old, abandoned National Guard armory. In 1970, Austin's flagship rock music venue, the Vulcan Gas Company, closed, leaving the city's nascent and burgeoning live music scene without an incubator. ![]()
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