Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, exploration of music across genres, and devoted fan base. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983, the band's four members performed together for over 20 years until an official breakup in...
and
U2U2 are a rock band that formed in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr...
--
ToolTool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The current bassist is Justin Chancellor, who has been with the band since 1995...
was the final
musical act prior to closing. '
The final event held there was a
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
show held by
World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, a popular attraction since the early days of the arena. In fact, WWE considered the Coliseum its home arena, as it was the closest arena to WWE's headquarters in Stamford, CT.
Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe is a American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
also played there during their
Theatre Of PainTheatre of Pain is the third album by rock band Mötley Crüe, released on June 21, 1985. Released in the aftermath of singer Vince Neil's arrest for manslaughter on a drunk driving charge, the album marked a step away from the heavy metal sound of Shout at the Devil towards a more glam-rock...
and
Dr. FeelgoodDr. Feelgood is the fifth album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on September 1, 1989.-Album information:Dr. Feelgood topped the Billboard 200 chart , being the first album Mötley Crüe had recorded after their quest for sobriety and rehabilitation in 1989...
tours. During the Dr. Feelgood show, drummer
Tommy LeeTommy Lee is an American musician, and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects...
fell from a drum solo he was performing above the crowd. Tommy required medical attention as he suffered a concussion.
Expositions attracted tens of thousands of patrons to the Coliseum. Best known among these was the nationally renowned New Haven Antiques Show. This show utilized the entire rear staging area and front corridor as well as the Coliseum's main floor. Visitors to this semi-annual event came from throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Other expositions included the Connecticut Camping and Outdoors Show, New Haven Home Show and Connecticut Business Show. The Home Show was unique featuring a full-size landscaped, furnished, and decorated modular home erected on the Coliseum floor.
Construction
The Coliseum was built to replace the
New Haven ArenaNew Haven Arena was an indoor arena on Grove Street in New Haven, Connecticut that served as a venue for ice hockey, concerts and circuses.The first arena opened in 1914 but burned down in 1924. The new arena was built in 1926 by Maurice Podoloff with his father and two brothers and held over...
, New Haven's prior indoor sports and entertainment venue. The Coliseum, as well as the neighboring Knights of Columbus building, was designed by the architects
Kevin RocheKevin Roche is an award-winning twentieth-century Irish-born American architect. He is famous for his creative work with glass....
of
Roche-DinkelooRoche-Dinkeloo, otherwise known as Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC, is an architectural partnership based in Hamden, Connecticut founded in 1966....
. One interesting aspect of the arena's design was that the parking garage was built on top of the actual Coliseum structure; this was necessitated by a high water table in the area which made it overly difficult to construct sub-surface parking facilities. Though an interesting solution, this design was not very popular in the marketplace because of the quarter-mile helical ramps required to access the parking. Other features of the design, such as street storefronts and an exhibition hall, were never completed.
Deterioration
During the 1980s, the structure of the parking garages had deteriorated to the point where large canvas panels had to be attached to the outside to catch pieces of concrete that would occasionally drop off onto the sidewalk below. Renovations were made to correct that problem. The city shut down the facility after concluding that it was a drain on city coffers. However, the city did not hold any public hearings, referendum votes, or conduct any surveys, and several groups, local stakeholders, and the Coalition to Save Our Coliseum mounted a campaign to save and renovate the Coliseum, to no avail. Others in the community supported the plan to demolish the arena. Despite Mayor DeStefano's plan to close and demolish the building within six months, it ultimately took more than four years.
Among the reasons for the Coliseum's demise was the construction or renovation (often with state money) in the 1990s of alternative comparably sized venues within the southern Connecticut market. The
Arena at Harbor YardThe Arena at Harbor Yard is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut built alongside The Ballpark at Harbor Yard. The Arena is home to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League and the Fairfield Stags men's and women's college basketball teams of the Metro...
in
BridgeportBridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in and the former county seat of Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 137,912 in 2006 and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
attracted a minor league hockey team, the
Bridgeport Sound TigersThe Bridgeport Sound Tigers are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; it has been the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League since its inception, and use the same team colors as the Islanders do...
. Many musical acts started booking the
Chevrolet TheatreThe Oakdale Theatre, is a venue for music and other performances located in Wallingford, Connecticut in the United States.- Founding/Early Years :...
in the city of
Wallingford, ConnecticutWallingford is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...
after it was upgraded and expanded. A large arena was built about an hour away at the
Mohegan SunMohegan Sun located in Uncasville, Connecticut is the world's second largest casino with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is concentrated...
Casino. Even though the state gave $5.5 million to the arena for new paint, signage, and scoreboards, the Coliseum simply could not compete with newer facilities, as even as early as 1980 the Coliseum was decried as a "
White ElephantA white elephant is a valuable possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth.-Background:...
". Mayor DeStefano also had staked out a strategy of investing city resources into arts and cultural activities rather than attracting sports teams to the city.
Demolition
The Coliseum's demolition was delayed by the state's refusal to award the $6.5 million that the city requested, and the arena remained empty and darkened. The office area was used in the meantime for practice by the New Haven Fire Department.
Actual demolition work began in late October 2005 with removal of most of the arena area. At 7:50 a.m. on January 20, 2007, after years of wrangling and delay, the Coliseum was finally imploded, using more than 2,000 pounds of explosive. It was said that the implosion could be heard all the way to
MeridenMeriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.- History :...
and Northford. As it came down, a massive cloud of dust and smoke covered the surrounding area, but blew away quickly toward the shoreline. Upwards of 20,000 people watched from the nearby Temple Street Garage and other buildings, and residents of nearby apartments were evacuated. The two helical ramps were not imploded, and were subsequently destroyed by conventional methods.
The city has tentative plans to replace the Coliseum with a new downtown/
Long WharfLong Wharf is a waterfront district and neighborhood of the city of New Haven, Connecticut, United States.-Location:Its location can be defined as the area stretching inland from the west side of New Haven Harbor northwest to Union Avenue, west to Hallock Avenue and Cedar Street, and north to the...
redevelopment plan, including a relocated
Long Wharf TheatreLong Wharf Theatre started life in a warehouse alongside the harbor of New Haven, Connecticut, in 1965, the brainchild of two alumni of Yale University, Jon Jory and Harlan Kleiman, intent on creating a resident professional theatre company....
and a new campus for
Gateway Community CollegeGateway Community College is located in Connecticut with two campuses: one in New Haven and one in North Haven. Gateway has over 11,000 students a year, full and part-time, in over 90 academic programs...
.
A temporary 400-space parking lot opened on the former Coliseum site on December 4, 2007, but plans are advancing to redevelop the site with a mix of offices, apartments, and retail space, with proposals by such firms as
Cesar PelliCésar Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. His designs are known for their curved facades and metallic elements....
, Related Companies and Robert A.M. Stern.
On January 12th, 2009 the Knights of Columbus filed a lawsuit against the City of New Haven, Stamford Wrecking Company and Demolition Dynamics Company. The lawsuit seeks repayment for damages incurred to the Knights of Columbus Building and Knights of Columbus Museum across the street from the Coliseum.
External links
was at coordinates