Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Encyclopedia
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
, initially built in 1952 for nearly $3 million in Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park
. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was originally designed to seat 8,000 for hockey or 10,240 for basketball. In 2002, an extensive renovation and expansion was put into motion, which raised the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum's roof by 41 feet, therefore increasing the arena's seating capacity
to 10,500 for hockey or music concerts and 13,000 for basketball. The structure was designed by A.M. Strauss Architects.
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum ranked 20th in the world among similar-sized venues by Venues Today, a concert and event publication for 2007.
The arena has also been home to the National Basketball Association
's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1952 until the team's move to Detroit, Michigan
in 1957.
, in 1955 and 1956, as well as the NBA All-Star Game in 1953 in addition to hosting the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Tournaments
. The Coliseum was also the host venue to the 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Volleyball Championship matches. The University of Notre Dame
will accommodate the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament Midwest Regional at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
, managed in cooperation with IPFW.
's USS Indiana
battleship. South and east of the central complex is an expansive parking lot, containing 4,500 available parking spaces. To the south and west along the St. Joseph River, lies Johnny Appleseed Park
, containing the gravesite of American folklore figure John Chapman
. To the north and northeast is the IPFW campus, especially the portion of the IPFW campus located on the western bank of the St. Joseph, on which a 151-room Holiday Inn
is located.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, initially built in 1952 for nearly $3 million in Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park
Johnny Appleseed Park
Johnny Appleseed Park, including what was formerly known as Archer Park, is a public park in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is named after the popular-culture nickname of John Chapman, better known as "Johnny Appleseed," a famous American pioneer, who was buried on the site. Chapman's gravesite is...
. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was originally designed to seat 8,000 for hockey or 10,240 for basketball. In 2002, an extensive renovation and expansion was put into motion, which raised the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum's roof by 41 feet, therefore increasing the arena's seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to 10,500 for hockey or music concerts and 13,000 for basketball. The structure was designed by A.M. Strauss Architects.
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum ranked 20th in the world among similar-sized venues by Venues Today, a concert and event publication for 2007.
Sports
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is the current home of:- the Fort Wayne KometsFort Wayne KometsThe Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey franchise currently a member of the Central Hockey League in the Northern Conference. The team was previously a member of the International Hockey League before it merged into the CHL in 2010...
of the Central Hockey LeagueCentral Hockey LeagueThe Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
, - the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort WayneIndiana University-Purdue University Fort WayneIndiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne is the largest university in northern Indiana, United States, offering more than 200 Indiana University and Purdue University degrees and certificates. Since 1968, IPFW has conferred nearly 8,800 master’s degrees, 27,000 bachelor’s degrees, more...
NCAA men's basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, - the Fort Wayne FirehawksFort Wayne FirehawksThe Fort Wayne FireHawks are an indoor football team affiliated with the Continental Indoor Football League. Based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the FireHawks play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum....
of the Continental Indoor Football League, and - the Fort Wayne Mad AntsFort Wayne Mad AntsThe Fort Wayne Mad Ants are a team of the NBA Development League, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is the home venue for the team. The team is the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury...
of the NBA Development LeagueNBA Development LeagueThe NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
.
The arena has also been home to the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1952 until the team's move to Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in 1957.
Events
In basketball, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum has hosted two NBA FinalsNBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
, in 1955 and 1956, as well as the NBA All-Star Game in 1953 in addition to hosting the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Tournaments
Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Locations
The Summit League men’s basketball tournament is the post-season tournament for NCAA conference The Summit League. The winner of the tournament receives The Summit League's automatic bid into the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. The tournament was first played in 1984, when the...
. The Coliseum was also the host venue to the 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Volleyball Championship matches. The University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
will accommodate the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament Midwest Regional at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Related facilities
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum complex includes the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Exposition Center and Holiday InnHoliday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, managed in cooperation with IPFW.
Exposition Center
Within the same complex as the arena, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Exposition Center contains 108,000-ft² (0.100-km²) devoted to hosting substantial trade shows, banquets, graduation ceremonies, concerts, truck and tractor pulls, and wrestling matches, with the capability of seating 7,500 guests. When no events are scheduled for the arena, the Exposition Center's capacity can extend to a total of 175,000-ft² (0.162-km²). The Exposition Center was added in the $26 million renovation and expansion of the complex, completed in 1989.Grounds
The grounds immediately surrounding the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum display the anchor from World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
's USS Indiana
USS Indiana (BB-58)
USS Indiana , a South Dakota-class battleship, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 19th state. Her keel was laid down on 20 November 1939 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 21 November 1941 sponsored by...
battleship. South and east of the central complex is an expansive parking lot, containing 4,500 available parking spaces. To the south and west along the St. Joseph River, lies Johnny Appleseed Park
Johnny Appleseed Park
Johnny Appleseed Park, including what was formerly known as Archer Park, is a public park in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is named after the popular-culture nickname of John Chapman, better known as "Johnny Appleseed," a famous American pioneer, who was buried on the site. Chapman's gravesite is...
, containing the gravesite of American folklore figure John Chapman
John Chapman
John Chapman may refer to :*Sir John Chapman, 2nd Baronet , British Member of Parliament for Taunton, 1741–1747*John Chapman , United States Representative from Pennsylvania...
. To the north and northeast is the IPFW campus, especially the portion of the IPFW campus located on the western bank of the St. Joseph, on which a 151-room Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
is located.
External links
- Official site
- 2002 Construction details (PDF)
- Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Timeline: Important Precedents in Stadium Design by Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...