Memorial Coliseum
Encyclopedia
Memorial Coliseum is an indoor arena located in the oldest part of, what is now known as the Rose Quarter
area, within Portland
, Oregon
, United States
.
The arena is the home of the Portland Winterhawks, a major junior ice hockey team, and was the first 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.
of the Western Hockey League
and was the venue for the 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
, where UCLA won its second of ten such championships in the 1960s and 1970s.
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
.
On November 1, 1974, Gerald Ford
became the first president to attend an NBA game. At the Memorial Coliseum, he watched the Trail Blazers defeat the Buffalo Braves 113–106.
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
.
As part of the team's 40th anniversary celebration, the Blazers played a pre-season game at Memorial Coliseum on October 14, 2009, against the Phoenix Suns
. Team founder Harry Glickman
, former players Jerome Kersey
, Terry Porter
, and Bob Gross
, as well as broadcaster Bill Schonely
attended the game. The Suns defeated the Blazers, 110–104 with 11,740 tickets sold.
. In August 2007, the City of Portland and the Portland Winterhawks reached an agreement to have replay screens installed in the main center ice scoreboard in time for the 2007–2008 hockey season. The city agreed to rent the screens, which are owned by the Winterhawks, for the first year, and then either buy them outright or replace them with different screens in 2008–09. Other improvements included adding a 'beer garden' area, replacing graphic displays, and general painting and repairs.
of the American Basketball League
played in the Coliseum from 1996–1998. It hosted the OSAA 4A Men's State Basketball Tournament in March 1966–2003 and the March 2005 Big Sky Conference
Basketball Tournament. The Memorial Coliseum hosts the Oregon High School Hockey League; local high school hockey teams play a few games each season and it also hosts some other events such as conventions, touring shows, and high school graduations.
The Memorial Coliseum was designed with large doors at both ends to accommodate the floats of the Portland Rose Festival
’s Grand Floral Parade. The 4.2 miles (6.8 km) long parade begins at the Memorial Coliseum, where paying guests watch the parade cross the coliseum’s floor from reserved seats inside and from bleachers outside. The Rose Festival Queen’s Coronation has also been held in the facility since 1961.
On August 22, 1965, The Beatles
played two shows at Memorial Coliseum to 20,000 screaming fans as part of their 1965 American Tour. Allen Ginsburg, who was in the audience, wrote a poem about the event called “Portland Coliseum”.
A political rally for 2000 presidential candidate Ralph Nader
sold 10,500 seven dollar tickets at the venue on August 26, 2000, with every seat sold except those behind the stage.
President Barack Obama
spoke at the Memorial Coliseum on March 21, 2008 before winning the Democratic Nomination
.
final between the USA and Russia
.
Original plans called for a building made of wood, which is plentiful in the region, but cost and safety factors precluded this. The structure instead consists of a modernistic gray glass and aluminum, non load-bearing curtain-wall cube around a central ovular concrete seating bowl. Four 70 feet (21.3 m) concrete piers
support the steel roof, with no interior columns required. The exterior appearance, with 80000 ft2 of glass, is of a skyscraper laid on its side. The curtain-wall windows inside offer views of the city in all directions. The 1060 feet (323.1 m) long black curtains can be closed to block sunlight in 90 seconds. Seating includes 9,000 permanent seats expandable to 14,000 with portable chairs and bleachers. At its opening it was called the largest multipurpose facility of its kind in the Pacific Northwest
.
The war memorial consists of two black granite walls below ground level and near the main gate. The names of the dead are inscribed in gold paint, now faded with age. There are no dates given, only the names and an inscription: "To the memory of a supreme sacrifice we honor those who gave their lives for God, principle and love of country”.
The International Style
glass and concrete building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in September 2009.
for Merritt Paulson
’s Portland Beavers
baseball team, since the team would move from PGE Park
to make room for the new Portland Timbers
Major League Soccer
franchise, also a Paulson owned team. This proposal was dropped early in May 2009 with Lents Park being re-considered as a ballpark site.
Opposition to razing Memorial Coliseum included some veterans and architectural historians who successfully applied for National Register of Historic Places
status for the building. Former governor Vic Atiyeh also opposed demolition if it led to the veteran memorial being forgotten. The Memorial Coliseum was given a rank of the highest importance in the city’s historic resource inventory of 1984.
Other proposed uses of the grounds include turning the site into an entertainment district, a recreation center, a retail center, or a multilevel center for arts, athletics, and education. Another possibility is to update and repair the facility to improve its marketability.
However, there has been talk about using two of the outer glass walls as part of the exterior for a new ballpark.
Rose Quarter
The Rose Quarter is a 30 acre sports and entertainment district located in Portland's Lloyd District on the east bank of the Willamette River, just east of downtown. The Rose Quarter is bounded on the west by NE Interstate Avenue, on the north by NE Broadway and NE Weidler Streets, on the...
area, within Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The arena is the home of the Portland Winterhawks, a major junior ice hockey team, and was the first home of the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
of 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...
.
It has been included on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in recognition of its architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
significance.
Tenants
The Memorial Coliseum was the home of the Portland BuckaroosPortland Buckaroos
The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon.-PCHL/NWHL era :The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena. The Buckaroos initially played in the four-team Pacific Coast Hockey League from...
of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
and was the venue for the 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, where UCLA won its second of ten such championships in the 1960s and 1970s.
Portland Trail Blazers
When the Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
franchise was awarded for 1970, the Memorial Coliseum became the team's home court, capable of seating nearly 13,000 when configured for basketball
Basketball
Basketball 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...
. Three NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
have been (partially) played in the Coliseum; in 1977
1977 NBA Finals
The 1977 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1976-77 NBA season. The Portland Trail Blazers of the Western Conference played against the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference, with the 76ers holding home-court advantage. Their 4 regular season meetings had been...
(when the Trail Blazers won) and in 1990
1990 NBA Finals
The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-90 NBA season. The series pitted the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers...
and 1992
1992 NBA Finals
The 1992 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1991–92 NBA season. The Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference took on the Portland Trail Blazers of the Western Conference for the title, with Chicago having home court advantage, as they had the best record in the NBA.The two teams appeared...
.
On November 1, 1974, Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
became the first president to attend an NBA game. At the Memorial Coliseum, he watched the Trail Blazers defeat the Buffalo Braves 113–106.
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
1995-96 NBA season
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association , although the league didn't celebrate this anniversary until the following season...
.
As part of the team's 40th anniversary celebration, the Blazers played a pre-season game at Memorial Coliseum on October 14, 2009, against the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
. Team founder Harry Glickman
Harry Glickman
Harry Glickman is a retired journalist, promoter, and sports executive. He was one of the founders of the Portland Trail Blazers, and was the team's president from 1987 to 1994.-Early career:...
, former players Jerome Kersey
Jerome Kersey
Jerome Kersey is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association for a number of teams, but most notably for the Portland Trail Blazers. He also has served in various coaching roles in the NBA. Kersey is currently a resident of Happy Valley, Oregon in...
, Terry Porter
Terry Porter
Terry Porter is an American professional basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association . A native of Wisconsin, he played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point before being drafted 24th by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985 NBA Draft...
, and Bob Gross
Bob Gross
Robert Edwin Gross is a retired American basketball player formerly in the NBA. A 6'6" 200 lb forward, he attended Seattle University and California State University, Long Beach, and was selected in the 1975 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was also selected in the 1975 ABA Draft by...
, as well as broadcaster Bill Schonely
Bill Schonely
Bill Schonely , nicknamed "The Schonz", is an American sports broadcaster who was the first play-by-play announcer for the Portland Trail Blazers. A native of Pennsylvania, he worked in radio in Louisiana and Seattle before settling in Portland, Oregon...
attended the game. The Suns defeated the Blazers, 110–104 with 11,740 tickets sold.
Portland Winterhawks
The building is currently the home arena of the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey LeagueWestern Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
. In August 2007, the City of Portland and the Portland Winterhawks reached an agreement to have replay screens installed in the main center ice scoreboard in time for the 2007–2008 hockey season. The city agreed to rent the screens, which are owned by the Winterhawks, for the first year, and then either buy them outright or replace them with different screens in 2008–09. Other improvements included adding a 'beer garden' area, replacing graphic displays, and general painting and repairs.
Other occupants
The Portland PowerPortland Power (basketball)
The Portland Power was a women's professional basketball team in the American Basketball League based in Portland, Oregon. The Power began play in 1996, and disbanded when the ABL folded at the end of 1998.-1996-97 season:...
of the American Basketball League
American Basketball League (1996-1998)
The American Basketball League, often abbreviated to the ABL of 1996 was an independent professional basketball league for women in the United States. At the same time the ABL was being formed, the National Basketball Association was creating the Women's National Basketball Association...
played in the Coliseum from 1996–1998. It hosted the OSAA 4A Men's State Basketball Tournament in March 1966–2003 and the March 2005 Big Sky Conference
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
Basketball Tournament. The Memorial Coliseum hosts the Oregon High School Hockey League; local high school hockey teams play a few games each season and it also hosts some other events such as conventions, touring shows, and high school graduations.
Major events
Portland Rose Festival
The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region...
’s Grand Floral Parade. The 4.2 miles (6.8 km) long parade begins at the Memorial Coliseum, where paying guests watch the parade cross the coliseum’s floor from reserved seats inside and from bleachers outside. The Rose Festival Queen’s Coronation has also been held in the facility since 1961.
On August 22, 1965, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
played two shows at Memorial Coliseum to 20,000 screaming fans as part of their 1965 American Tour. Allen Ginsburg, who was in the audience, wrote a poem about the event called “Portland Coliseum”.
A political rally for 2000 presidential candidate Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
sold 10,500 seven dollar tickets at the venue on August 26, 2000, with every seat sold except those behind the stage.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
spoke at the Memorial Coliseum on March 21, 2008 before winning the Democratic Nomination
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008
The 2008 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
.
Dew Tour
In 2004, Portland was selected as one of five cities in the U.S. to host the Dew Tour, a new extreme sports franchise started in 2005. Titled the Vans Invitational, the event was held at the Rose Quarter August 17–21, 2004. The Memorial Coliseum hosted BMX: Park, BMX: Vert, Skateboard: Park, and Skateboard: Vert. The Dew Tour will return to the Rose Quarter again with the Wendy's Invitational on August 12–15, 2010, marking the tour's sixth year in Portland, which is the only city that has qualified to host the tour in every year since its inception.Davis Cup Tennis final
From November 30 through December 2, 2007, the Memorial Coliseum hosted the 2007 Davis Cup Tennis2007 Davis Cup
The 2007 Davis Cup was the 96th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. Sixteen teams participated in the World Group and 123 took part in different regional groups...
final between the USA and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
History
Financed by an $8 million bond approved by voters in 1954, construction was completed by Hoffman Construction in 1960 and 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 feet (30.5 m) tall and has a footprint of about 3.1 acres (1.3 ha). It is sometimes referred to as "The Glass Palace" in Portland. The building was designed by architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.Original plans called for a building made of wood, which is plentiful in the region, but cost and safety factors precluded this. The structure instead consists of a modernistic gray glass and aluminum, non load-bearing curtain-wall cube around a central ovular concrete seating bowl. Four 70 feet (21.3 m) concrete piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
support the steel roof, with no interior columns required. The exterior appearance, with 80000 ft2 of glass, is of a skyscraper laid on its side. The curtain-wall windows inside offer views of the city in all directions. The 1060 feet (323.1 m) long black curtains can be closed to block sunlight in 90 seconds. Seating includes 9,000 permanent seats expandable to 14,000 with portable chairs and bleachers. At its opening it was called the largest multipurpose facility of its kind in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
The war memorial consists of two black granite walls below ground level and near the main gate. The names of the dead are inscribed in gold paint, now faded with age. There are no dates given, only the names and an inscription: "To the memory of a supreme sacrifice we honor those who gave their lives for God, principle and love of country”.
The International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
glass and concrete building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in September 2009.
Future
It was proposed that Memorial Coliseum be demolished to make room for a 9,000 seat new ballparkNew Portland Ballpark
Portland Beavers Ballpark was a description of a new stadium in Portland, Oregon, or in an outlying city that was being planned for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League of Minor League Baseball...
for Merritt Paulson
Merritt Paulson
Henry Merritt Paulson III is the majority owner of Peregrine Sports, LLC which owns the Portland Timbers, a Major League Soccer team based in Portland, Oregon.-Personal:...
’s Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
baseball team, since the team would move from PGE Park
PGE Park
Jeld-Wen Field is an outdoor sports stadium located in Portland, Oregon, United States that is used primarily for soccer and American football...
to make room for the new Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (MLS)
The Portland Timbers are an American professional soccer club based in Portland, Oregon that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
franchise, also a Paulson owned team. This proposal was dropped early in May 2009 with Lents Park being re-considered as a ballpark site.
Opposition to razing Memorial Coliseum included some veterans and architectural historians who successfully applied for National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
status for the building. Former governor Vic Atiyeh also opposed demolition if it led to the veteran memorial being forgotten. The Memorial Coliseum was given a rank of the highest importance in the city’s historic resource inventory of 1984.
Other proposed uses of the grounds include turning the site into an entertainment district, a recreation center, a retail center, or a multilevel center for arts, athletics, and education. Another possibility is to update and repair the facility to improve its marketability.
However, there has been talk about using two of the outer glass walls as part of the exterior for a new ballpark.
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 TribunePortland TribuneThe Portland Tribune is a free weekly newspaper published each Thursday in Portland, Oregon, United States.The Tribune is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area, and also owns and operates the talk radio station KPAM, and...
- Alternatives abound for coliseum's future, a July 2003 article from the Portland TribunePortland TribuneThe Portland Tribune is a free weekly newspaper published each Thursday in Portland, Oregon, United States.The Tribune is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area, and also owns and operates the talk radio station KPAM, and...
- Urban Home Center recommended for Memorial Coliseum redevelopment, a May 2003 article from the Portland edition of the Daily Journal of CommerceDaily Journal of CommerceThe Daily Journal of Commerce is a U.S. newspaper published daily except Saturday and Sunday in Portland, Oregon. It features business, construction, real estate, legal news and public notices...
- Save Memorial Coliseum
- National Register of Historic Places nomination
- Photo Gallery of Blazers-Suns Game at MC on October 14, 2009