Washington Coliseum - History

History

The Uline Ice Arena, which opened in February 1941, was built by Miguel L. "Uncle Mike" Uline for his hockey team, the Washington Lions of the now defunct Eastern Amateur Hockey League. He made his fortune in the ice business.

The first act was Sonja Henie's Hollywood Ice Revue. One of its first events was a pro-America rally designed to promote U.S. entry in World War II, just weeks before Pearl Harbor.

Jewelry wholesaler Harry G. Lynn bought the arena in 1959 for $1 million, and renamed it the Washington Coliseum the next year. In 1959, Elijah Muhammad gave a speech there.

Earl Lloyd was the first African American athlete to play for the Washington Capitols', in the National Basketball Association, here on October 31, 1950.

On February 11, 1964, The Beatles played their first concert in the United States, less than 48 hours after the band's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Tickets to the show at the Coliseum ranged from $2 to $4. There were 8,092 fans at the concert which was opened by The Chiffons and Tommy Roe. The Beatles opened with "Roll Over Beethoven." An East Coast snow storm prevented The Chiffons and Tommy Roe from getting to Washington. Instead,the replacement acts were Jay & The Americans and The Righteous Brothers that night. The Beatles played for approximately 40 minuets.

The photograph of Bob Dylan on the cover of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits was taken at a concert at Washington Coliseum on November 28, 1965.

In 1967, after a riot during a performance by The Temptations, concerts were banned.

The American Basketball Association's defending Championship team, the Oakland Oaks moved to Washington as the Caps in 1969-70. The Oaks were owned by entertainer Pat Boone and had captured the ABA Championship in the 1968-69 season. However, Boone subsequently sold the team to Earl Foreman due to poor attendance in Oakland. Foreman relocated the franchise to Washington. Hall of Famers Rick Barry and Larry Brown played for the Caps, with Brown leading the league in assists and Barry averaging 27 points per game. The team finished 44-40 and was eliminated by the Denver Rockets in the playoffs. Plagued by poor attendance, the franchise relocated again and became the Virginia Squires following their one season in the Washington Coliseum.

The building still stands today in the NoMa neighborhood near Union Station, what was formerly known as Swampoodle. It was used as a trash transfer station by Waste Management, the company that handles trash disposal for the District of Columbia, from 1994 to 2003. Waste Management Inc. applied for a demolition permit on May 9, 2003. The D.C. Preservation League listed the building in its "Most Endangered Places for 2003". In order to protect it from efforts to raze the building, it was added to the official protection list of the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board in November 2006. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on May 17, 2007.

It is a popular spot for graffiti. It is now used as an indoor parking lot. The coliseum is currently owned by Doug Jemal. Redevelopment plans are pending.