Memorial Coliseum (Portland)

Memorial Coliseum

Location	300 N Winning Way Portland, OR 97227
Opened	November, 1960
Owner	City of Portland
Operator	Global Spectrum
Construction cost	$8 million USD
Architect	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Capacity	Basketball: 12,888
Tenants
Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) (1970-1995) Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) (1976-present) Portland Buckaroos (WHL) (1960-1975) Portland Power (ABL) (1996-1998) Portland Pride (CISL) (1993-1997) 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The Memorial Coliseum is an indoor arena, the oldest part of what is now known as the Rose Quarter area within Portland, Oregon.

History

Construction

Financed by an $8 million bond approved by voters in 1954, construction was completed in 1960 and it was dedicated on January 8, 1961 to the "advancement of cultural opportunities for the community and to the memory of our veterans of all wars who made the supreme sacrifice." The facility is 100 ft (30 m) tall and has a footprint of about 3.1 acres (13,000 m²). It is often referred to as "The Glass Palace" by Portland fans.^{[citation needed]}

Occupants

The Memorial Coliseum was the home of the Portland Buckaroos of the Western Hockey League and was the venue for the 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, the site of the second of ten such championships won by UCLA in the 1960s and 1970s.

Portland Trail Blazers

When the Portland Trail Blazers franchise was awarded for 1970, The Memorial Coliseum became the team's home court, capable of seating nearly 13,000 when configured for basketball. Three NBA Finals have been (partially) played in the Coliseum; in 1977 (when the Trail Blazers won) and in 1990 and 1992 (the Blazers were defeated in both years). Construction began on the nearby Rose Garden soon after the 1992 NBA Finals, and it became the team's home arena when it opened in 1995.

Other basketball occupants and hockey

The Portland Power of the American Basketball League played there from 1996–1998. The building is currently the home arena of the Portland Winter Hawks (Western Hockey League) and hosts some Winter Hawks games as well as other events such as conventions, touring shows, and high school graduations. It was the host of the March 2005 Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament. The Memorial Coliseum also hosted the OSAA 4A Men's State Basketball Tournament in March 1966–2003. It also plays host to the Oregon High School Hockey League, where local high school hockey teams will play a few games there each season.

Dew Action Sports Tour

In 2004, Portland was selected as one of 5 cities in the U.S. to host the Dew Action Sports Tour, a new extreme sports franchise to start in 2005. Titled the Vans Invitational, the event was held at the Rose Quarter from August 17–21. The Memorial Coliseum hosted BMX: Park, BMX: Vert, Skateboard: Park, and Skateboard: Vert. The Dew Action Sports Tour will return to Portland for year 3.

Portland Winter Hawks

In August 2007, The City of Portland and the Portland Winter Hawks reached an agreement to have replay screens installed in the main center ice scoreboard in time for the 2007–08 hockey season. The City will rent the screens, which are owned by the Winter Hawks, for the first year, and either buy them outright or replace them with different screens in 2008–09. Other improvements are also in progress, such as adding a 'beer garden' area, replacing graphic displays, and general painting and repairs.

Davis Cup Tennis final

From November 30 through December 2, 2007 the Memorial Coliseum hosted the 2007 Davis Cup Tennis final between the USA and Russia.

Future public use

Its future public use is under study by the city of Portland: it may become part of a proposed "Memorial Athletic and Recreation Complex", though other options have not been ruled out.

External links and sources

• Memorial Coliseum Reuse Study, a City of Portland website
• Memorial Coliseum in a Fight for its Life, from the website of Historic Preservation Northwest (February 16, 2003)
• Portland's crown jewel or a clunker?, a March 2004 article from the Portland Tribune
• Alternatives abound for coliseum's future, a July 2003 article from the Portland Tribune
• Urban Home Center recommended for Memorial Coliseum redevelopment, a May 2003 article from the Portland edition of the Daily Journal of Commerce

Coordinates: 45°31′55.7″N 122°40′10″W / 45.532139, -122.66944