Turner's Arena


Turner's Arena was the name given to a 2,000 seat arena, located near the northeast corner of 14th and W Streets, NW in Washington, DC, and originally owned by local wrestling promoter Joe Turner. This venue was an early home to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, a precursor to World Wrestling Entertainment, which was started by Vincent J. McMahon in January 1953. McMahon took over the territory from Gabe Menendez, who had succeeded Turner after his death in 1947. In addition, the arena hosted top professional boxing matches promoted by Goldie Ahearn featuring fighters such as Lou Gevinson, Lew Hanbury, and Jimmy Cooper. It was also the birthplace of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association annual basketball tournament, as well as the host to top country music acts and Jazz performances. It was renamed Capitol Arena in 1956 once Capitol Wrestling Corporation began broadcasting a syndicated weekly wrestling show from the arena every Thursday night.

Coordinates: 38°55′9.8″N 77°1′53.5″W / 38.919389°N 77.031528°W / 38.919389; -77.031528

Famous quotes containing the words turner and/or arena:

    We inherit plots.... There are only two or three in the world, five or six at most. We ride them like treadmills.
    —Janette Turner Hospital (b. 1942)

    Children treat their friends differently than they treat the other people in their lives. A friendship is a place for experimenting with new ways of handling anger and aggression. It is an arena for practicing reciprocity, testing assertiveness, and searching for compromise in ways children would not try with parents or siblings.
    Lawrence Kutner (20th century)