Architecture
Memorial Coliseum is an architecturally significant building of Mid-Century modern style. Extremely well constructed, its footings are anchored into the original seabed, well below the 1940s fill. The curved roof contains 260 tons of structural steel in a lamella space frame (diamond shape design) with a thin concrete cover. This strong, yet light roof structure allowed for the barrel-shaped 224-foot unsupported span, which was the world’s longest when it was built. As an additional plus factor, this kind of construction keeps insurance costs low and maintenance over 40 years is lower than in traditional buildings.
The architect of Memorial Coliseum, Richard S. Colley, is Corpus Christi's local star in the world of architecture.
The original design included a comprehensive plan for a bayfront 'Civic Center' which would include a City Hall, an auditorium/coliseum, a medium-size exposition hall and two parks.
Colley's Coliseum design began attracting the attention of the national architectural community even before it was built. In January 1952, the ‘auditorium plan’ (Coliseum and Exposition Hall) was awarded the annual jury prize by Progressive Architecture for being “the most noteworthy submission among buildings for public use.” The entire complex (Coliseum, Exposition Hall and City Hall) were featured in a 16-page article in February 1953 issue of Progressive Architecture which included photographs, floor plans and construction details.
In 1954, during the final construction phase of the Coliseum, Progressive Architecture featured the building again. Its lamella roof was pictured on the magazine’s cover and the related article discussed the design of the auditorium and included several photos of the building under construction.
Read more about this topic: Memorial Coliseum (Corpus Christi)
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“For it is not metres, but a metre-making argument, that makes a poem,—a thought so passionate and alive, that, like the spirit of a plant or an animal, it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)