Charlotte Coliseum
The Hive | |
 | |
 | |
| Location | 100 Paul Buck Boulevard Charlotte, North Carolina 28266 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°11′11″N 80°54′46″W / 35.18639°N 80.91278°W |
| Owner | City of Charlotte |
| Operator | City of Charlotte |
| Capacity | Basketball: 24,042 Ice hockey: 21,684 Boxing: 23,041 Concerts: 23,780 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 1986 |
| Opened | August 11, 1988 |
| Closed | October 26, 2005 |
| Demolished | June 3, 2007 |
| Construction cost | $52 million ($134 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Odell Associates |
| Tenants | |
| Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats (NBA) (1988–2002, 2004-2005) Charlotte 49ers (NCAA) (1988–1993) Charlotte Rage (AFL) (1992–1996) Charlotte Sting (WNBA) (1997–2005) Carolina Cobras (AFL) (2003–2004) | |
Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles' Coliseum (which was called Charlotte Coliseum prior to 1988), the Charlotte Convention Center, and Ovens Auditorium. It is best known as the home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets from 1988–2002, and the Charlotte Bobcats (now the second incarnation of the Hornets) from 2004–2005.
The Coliseum hosted 364 consecutive NBA sell-outs from December 1988 to November 1997.[2] It hosted its final NBA basketball game on October 26, 2005, a preseason game between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Indiana Pacers.
The city of Charlotte sold the property, and the building was demolished via implosion on June 3, 2007. A mixed-use development is currently under construction at the property.
History
Construction on the Charlotte Coliseum began in 1986[3] and was opened on August 11, 1988 with a dedication by the Rev. Billy Graham. At the time the venue was seen as state-of-the-art, complete with luxury boxes and a large eight-sided video scoreboard. George Shinn had used the under-construction arena as his hole card to get the NBA to place a team in the city. With almost 24,000 seats, it was not only the largest venue in the league, but the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. Some thought the Coliseum was too big, but Shinn believed the area's longstanding support for college basketball made the Coliseum a more-than-viable home for an NBA team.
The day after the dedication, the United States Olympic basketball team was scheduled to play an exhibition game at the Coliseum. While preparing for the event, the multi-million dollar scoreboard was being repositioned when it struck the ceiling and crashed to the floor, destroying both it and the basketball court it landed on (an alternate floor was brought from Independence Arena in time for the game that night).
The Hornets would go on to lead the NBA in attendance over the course of their first seven seasons playing in "The Hive".[3] At one point, they sold out 364 consecutive games—the equivalent of almost nine consecutive seasons. However, poorly received decisions made by Shinn, as well as anger over personal scandals involving him, caused fan support to dwindle, and by then the once-sparkling Coliseum was seen by many as outdated and no longer suitable to be the home of a major professional sports team. When the Hornets relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2002, the Hornets' attendance had dropped to last in the 29-team league.[4] Ironically, one of the Coliseum's last functions before being shuttered was as a shelter for people fleeing New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005.
The arena was also used for a variety of collegiate basketball events. The Coliseum hosted the 1994 Men's Final Four and the 1996 Women's Final Four (both jointly hosted by Davidson College and UNC Charlotte), in addition to many NCAA Tournament regionals, sub-regionals, eight ACC men's basketball tournaments and the 1989 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament.
It also hosted the 1991 NBA All-Star Game. It was also the site of WWE Unforgiven 1999 and Judgment Day 2003.
The Coliseum was home to filming of the movie Eddie in 1996, and was the Tech Dome, home of the fictitious Tech University in the 1998 film He Got Game.
In addition to the many sporting events hosted at the Coliseum, it was a perfect setting for large concerts. The first concert was not long after the grand opening and featured Frank Sinatra. The final performance in the arena was by Rick Sammons.
This was actually the second building to use the name "Charlotte Coliseum"; Bojangles' Coliseum, located on Independence Boulevard, originally opened as the Coliseum, and it shared the same features as the "new" Coliseum, including its famous domed roof.
Tenants
Although the Hornets were the best-known tenants of the Coliseum, many other teams called The Hive home.
The Charlotte Sting of the WNBA began play in the Coliseum upon their inception in 1997, but had moved to Time Warner Cable Arena in 2006. During most Sting games, the upper level and a portion of the lower level were curtained off, reducing capacity to around 10,000. However, during the Sting's unexpected run to the WNBA finals in 2001, they attracted the largest crowd in WNBA history to one playoff game.
The Charlotte 49ers played in the Coliseum during their final days in the Sun Belt Conference from 1988 through 1993. The Coliseum also played host to the 1989 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament, setting a record for attendance. They moved back to their old home, Bojangles' Coliseum (then known as Independence Arena) for the 1993-94 season, partly due to a desire for a more intimate atmosphere. The 49ers' fan base is somewhat smaller than the fan bases for the state's ACC teams, and 49ers games were frequently swallowed up in the environment.
Two now-defunct Arena Football League teams played in the Coliseum - the Charlotte Rage (1992–96) and the Carolina Cobras (2003–04).
When the NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, they played their first season (2004-05) in the Coliseum[3] as the new Time Warner Cable Arena was being built.
Notes
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b c Last of its kind: Charlotte Coliseum to be demolished Sunday, updated June 1, 2007
- ^ NBA Home Attendance Totals
External links
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by first arena
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Home of the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats 1988 – 2002, 2004 – 2005 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first arena
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Home of the Charlotte Sting 1997 – 2005 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1991 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first arena
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Home of the Charlotte Rage 1992 – 1996 |
Succeeded by last arena
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| Preceded by | Home of the Carolina Cobras 2003 – 2004 |
Succeeded by last arena
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- 1980s establishments in North Carolina
- 1988 establishments in the United States
- 2000s disestablishments in North Carolina
- 2005 disestablishments in the United States
- Arena football venues
- Charlotte 49ers basketball venues
- Charlotte Bobcats venues
- Charlotte Hornets
- Defunct indoor arenas in the United States
- Defunct National Basketball Association venues
- Defunct professional wrestling venues in the United States
- Demolished sports venues in the United States
- Event venues established in 1988
- Former music venues in the United States
- Sports venues demolished in 2007
- Defunct sports venues in North Carolina
- Music venues in North Carolina