The Denver Coliseum is an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. The arena was built from 1949 to 1951[5], where the Denver Pacific Railway broke ground on its Cheyenne line in 1868.[6]
Opening on November 8, 1951, with a six-day run of Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies.[7] Today, the venue is an integral venue of the National Western Stock Show and hosts a multitude of other events including: commencement ceremonies, rodeos, ice shows, motor shows, circuses, concerts, motivational seminars, dances, exhibits and trade shows.
Notables include: CHSAA high school volleyball, spirit and basketball playoffs and championships, Disney on Ice, Denver March Pow Wow, Rocky Mountain Percussion Association State Championship Finals, the Mineral, Fossil, Gem, and Jewelry Show, cheerleading & gymnastic competitions and roller derby.
After the McNichols Sports Arena opened in 1975, the venue continued on as an alternate venue to the larger arena for events requiring less seating or overall space. This continues today after the Pepsi Center opened in 1999, and the subsequent demolition of McNichols in 2000.
History
On January 10, 1952, June Haver and Walter O'Keefe hosted the official dedication on the eve of the first stock show.[1] Over the years the arena hosted many celebrities and artists including:[8][9]
Elvis Presley(April 8, 1956 [2 shows], November 17, 1970, April 30, 1973)
The arena has been home ice to several hockey teams from various leagues including the Denver Cutthroats (2012-14), the Denver/Colorado Rangers (1987-89), the Denver Spurs (1968-75), the Denver Invaders (1963-64) and the Denver Mavericks (1959). The University of Denver Pioneers college hockey team played many of its home games at the Coliseum during the renovation of the University of Denver Arena in 1972-73, and when the current Magness Arena was under construction, between 1997 and 1999. The USA Curling Men's and Women's National Championships[10] were held at the Denver Coliseum during February 5-11, 2023.
President Dwight Eisenhower stopped in Denver on his tour of western states in support of Republican candidates on October 8, 1962. In 1976, a planned Marvin Gaye concert was canceled after learning that Gaye was at his home in Los Angeles sleeping, led to rioting at the coliseum, a series of lawsuits for fraud and deceiving ticket buyers, and giving the media a field day as the top story.[11] On April 5, 2005, after a women's boxing match held at the coliseum, boxer Becky Zerlentes died of her injuries following a third-round knockout loss to Heather Schmitz.[12]Santana played the Denver Coliseum six times, securing the title of "House Band".
Denver Department of Public Health & Environment utilized the Coliseum as a shelter for people experiencing homelessness from 2020 to 2021 to provide safe distancing which existing shelters could not provide in response to COVID-19, as a warming shelter[13] for two nights of extreme cold[14] during December 21[15]–23, 2022.
↑ "ARCHITECTS OF COLORADO"(PDF). OFFICE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION. COLORADO HISTORICAL SOCIETY. June 2, 2007. Archived from the original(PDF) on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
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