"The Madhouse on McDowell" | |
Address | 1826 West McDowell Road |
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Location | Phoenix, Arizona |
Coordinates | 33°28′10″N112°5′48″W / 33.46944°N 112.09667°W |
Owner | Arizona Exposition and State Fair Board |
Operator | Arizona Exposition and State Fair Board |
Capacity |
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Construction | |
Broke ground | August 11, 1964 [1] |
Opened | November 3, 1965 |
Construction cost | US$7 million |
Architect |
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Structural engineer | T. Y. Lin International |
General contractor | Manhattan–Dickman |
Tenants | |
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Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1968 to 1992, as well as indoor soccer, professional roller hockey, multiple professional minor league ice hockey teams, and roller derby.
The Arizona State Fair Commission began planning an "Arizona State Fairgrounds Exposition Center" as early as February 1960. [2] The Commission envisioned an indoor facility which could be used during the state fair as well as year-round. In 1964, Phoenix architect Leslie Mahoney, of the firm Lescher and Mahoney (designers of the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix) presented the final plans to the commission, and construction began that summer. [3] Tucson architect Lew Place (son of University of Arizona chief campus architect Roy Place, who later took over his father's firm) was also involved in the design. The structural engineering firm was T. Y. Lin International. [4]
The distinctive saddle-shaped, tension-cable roof, supporting over 1,000 precast concrete panels, was considered innovative architectural engineering. It may have been at least partially influenced by the equally innovative Dorton Arena at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, completed in 1952. Veterans Memorial Coliseum contains a series of murals by Phoenix artist Paul Coze. The design influenced later arenas' architecture, including the defunct Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, and the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta.
In April 1965, the name was changed to honor Arizona's war veterans. There was an early controversy over whether alcohol would be served at the new facility, but legislation was signed in April 1965 by Governor Sam Goddard providing for limited liquor sales. The Coliseum opened November 3, 1965, with a production of Ice Follies. [5] The final cost was estimated at $7 million, all privately funded.
The Coliseum suffers from a leaky roof dating back to at least its first anniversary, when management put a 25-foot (7.6 m) candle on the roof to celebrate the building's first birthday. The candle broke the roof's seal, which caused a number of leaks over the years. [5] [6]
On January 21, 1967, The Monkees performed their first ever live concert at the Coliseum, which was filmed and portions used in episode 4753 The Monkees on Tour. The episode first aired on NBC, April 24, 1967. The episode included footage of the band's stay at Mountain Shadows Resort. [7] On November 11, 1969, The Rolling Stones played a show for their Let it Bleed tour at the Coliseum. On September 9, 1970, Elvis Presley kicked off his first tour after returning to live performing, to a sell-out crowd of 13,000 as he did his first tour of 1973 on April 22 in front of 15,000. On October 18, 1993, Nirvana kicked off their In Utero world tour with a sold-out concert at the Coliseum.
The arena hosted the Phoenix Suns of the NBA from 1968 to 1992. During the Suns' tenure, the Coliseum was affectionately referred to as "The Madhouse on McDowell" (for McDowell Road on which the arena is located) by both fans and the local media. [8] Ironically, it was Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn who conferred the nickname during the 1970 playoffs. [9]
A preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers had to be canceled on October 6, 1974, after a leaky roof rendered the floor unplayable. [5] [6]
The Coliseum hosted the 1975 NBA All-Star Game, and the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship there in 1976.
Due to renovations at Talking Stick Resort Arena (now Footprint Center), the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury was to play at the Coliseum for the 2020 season, though the COVID-19 pandemic moved the Mercury to a league-wide bubble environment at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. [10]
Seating capacity for basketball went as follows: [11]
Years | Capacity |
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1965–1971 | 12,371 |
1971–1975 | 12,534 |
1975–1976 | 13,036 |
1976–1977 | 13,274 |
1977–1981 | 12,660 |
1981–1985 | 14,660 |
1985–1987 | 14,519 |
1987–1989 | 14,471 |
1989–1991 | 14,487 |
1991–1992 | 14,496 |
This arena seats 13,730 for ice hockey and 14,870 for basketball. In addition to the Suns, the Coliseum hosted the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League from 1967 to 1974 and the WHA from 1974 to 1977 and of the now-defunct International Hockey League from 1989 to 1997, the Phoenix Racquets of World Team Tennis from 1975 to 1978, the Arizona Thunder of the World Indoor Soccer League from 1998 to 2000, and the Phoenix Mustangs of the now-defunct WCHL from 1997 to 2001. The Coliseum was again home to pro sports starting in 2006, when the IBL's Phoenix Flame played home games there until their move to Grand Canyon University.
The Coliseum hosted the Arizona Derby Dames banked track roller derby league from 2008 to 2015.
The arena hosted truck pulling sanctioned by USHRA in the late 1980s. It was frequently featured on USHRA's truck pulling series on ESPN.
The Coliseum also housed the Phoenix Inferno (also known as the Phoenix Pride) of the MISL from 1980 to 1984.
The Coliseum also hosted a Saturday Night's Main Event taping on Feb. 15, 1986 (shown on NBC on March 1, 1986), when King Kong Bundy attacked Hulk Hogan at the end of his title defense versus Magnificent Muraco. Hogan suffered (kayfabe) rib injuries, setting up their steel cage main event match at WrestleMania 2.
It hosted the WCW WrestleWar 1991. The Coliseum was also host to the Phoenix Mustangs hockey team as part of the West Coast Hockey League and the Phoenix Eclipse ABA basketball team.
The arena remains open for some events, even though the Suns left in 1992 for America West Arena (now Footprint Center). The Arizona State Fair schedules concerts, comedy shows and other events in the Coliseum during the Fair's annual season (which begins each October). For several years, it hosted portions of Arizona's high school basketball championships; those were moved to the newer Gila River Arena (now Desert Diamond Arena) in 2005 and returned to the Coliseum for 2020. [12]
In the fall of 2005, the Coliseum sheltered up to 2,500 evacuees from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The evacuees were relocated to other housing in time for the opening of the Fair that October.
The Coliseum most recently hosted Sam Smith on his In The Lonely Hour Tour in the summer of 2015. The Phoenix Suns would also return to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum for a pre-season scrimmage on October 3, 2015, as a part of their "We Are PHX" movement, as well as unveiled signs commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Coliseum's existence. [13] [14]
In the late spring and early summer of 2021, the Coliseum was the site of the controversial multi-month audit of Maricopa County's 2020 presidential election ballots by the Republican caucus of the state Senate.
The Phoenix Union High School District holds its high school graduation ceremonies for all its schools starting on Tuesday after the third Monday in May for three days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).
Allen Leonard McCoy was an American sportscaster who was the play-by-play announcer for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1972 to 2023. The 2022–23 NBA season was his 51st and final season. He is the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history.
Footprint Center is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at a cost of $89 million.
Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of Downtown Seattle in the 74-acre (30 ha) entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it was originally developed. After opening in 1962, it was subsequently bought and converted by the city of Seattle for entertainment purposes. From 2018 to 2021, the arena underwent a $1.15 billion redevelopment; the renovation preserved the original exterior and roof, which was declared a Seattle Landmark in 2017 and was listed on the Washington Heritage Register as well as the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The renovated venue has a capacity of 17,151 for ice hockey and 18,300 for basketball.
Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League, and to host ice hockey and figure skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
The Greensboro Complex, formerly known as the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, is an entertainment and sports complex located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Opened in 1959, the complex holds eight venues that includes an amphitheater, arena, aquatic center, banquet hall, convention center, museum, theatre, and an indoor pavilion. It is the home of the UNC Greensboro Spartans men's basketball team, the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League, the Carolina Cobras of the National Arena League, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with their Men's and Women's basketball tournaments.
The Veterans Memorial Coliseum is an indoor arena located in the oldest part of the Rose Quarter area in Portland, Oregon. The arena is the home of the Portland Winterhawks, a major junior ice hockey team, and was the original home of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. It has been included on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its architectural significance.
Bojangles Coliseum, originally Charlotte Coliseum and formerly Independence Arena and Cricket Arena, is an 8,600-seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which also oversees nearby Ovens Auditorium and the uptown Charlotte Convention Center. The naming-rights sponsor is the Bojangles restaurant chain. The building's signature domed roof is made of tin, rather than steel or iron. The dome spans 332 feet in diameter and rises to 112 feet tall.
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The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum was a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. Built in 1960 and known as "northern Florida's most historic concert venue", it was home to most of the city's indoor professional sports teams and it hosted various concerts, circuses, and other events. It was demolished in 2003 and replaced with the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Hirsch Memorial Coliseum is 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Shreveport, Louisiana, designed by the late local architect Edward F. Neild Jr. (1908–1958) who, with his father in 1937, had designed the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport. The coliseum is named after William Rex Hirsch, a former fair president, manager and treasurer. The building completed construction in 1954, the year of Hirsch's death, and initially was planned to have the name The Youth Building. The coliseum has been used for a variety of events through the years, with dirt being brought in and placed on the floor for rodeos and tractor pulls. It is located adjacent to the Independence Stadium and across from Fair Park High School in Shreveport. Hirsch coliseum is very similar in design, though smaller in size to the John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum, owned and operated by the Louisiana State University Campus in Baton Rouge. However, the Parker coliseum has a dirt floor arena and is mainly used for livestock-type events, with portable hard floors laid on top of the dirt for other types of events such as basketball games or concerts.
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The Toyota Coliseum, formerly the State Fair Coliseum, is an indoor arena in Geddes, New York. It hosted the Syracuse Nationals from 1946 to 1951 as well as the Syracuse Stars of the American Hockey League. It also served as a temporary home to the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team following the burning of their on-campus gymnasium, Archbold Gymnasium, in 1947 until the opening of the Onondaga County War Memorial in 1951. The arena held 7,500 people and was built in 1927. It is owned by the State of New York under the Great New York State Fair. After undergoing renovations, the seating capacity was reduced to 3,600 and is now primarily used for horse shows. Much of the previous infrastructure, including the scoreboard and announcers booth, are still in place.
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An ice hockey arena is a sport venue in which an ice hockey competition is held. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette and rink bandy.
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Events and tenants | ||
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Preceded by first arena | Home of the Phoenix Suns 1968–1992 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1975 | Succeeded by |