WikiPortallus: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.html

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Fort Wayne, Indiana, initially built in 1952 for nearly $3 million in Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was originally designed to seat 8,000 for hockey or 10,240 for basketball. In 2002, an extensive renovation and expansion was put into motion, which raised the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum's roof by 41 feet, therefore increasing the arena's seating capacity to 10,500 for hockey or music concerts and 13,000 for basketball. The structure was designed by A.M. Strauss Architects.

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum ranked 20^th in the world among similar-sized venues by Venues Today, a concert and event industry-leading publication for 2007.¹

Sports

Events

In basketball, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum has hosted two NBA Finals, in 1955 and 1956, as well as the NBA All-Star Game in 1953² in addition to hosting the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Tournaments. The Coliseum was also the host venue to the 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Volleyball Championship matches. The University of Notre Dame will accommodate the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament Midwest Regional at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.³

Related facilities

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum complex also encompasses the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Exposition Center, Memorial Stadium, and Holiday Inn, managed in cooperation with IPFW.

Exposition Center

Within the same complex as the arena, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Exposition Center contains 108,000-ft² (0.100-km²) devoted to hosting substantial trade shows, banquets, graduation ceremonies, concerts, truck and tractor pulls, and wrestling matches, with the capability of seating 7,500 guests.⁴ When no events are scheduled for the arena, the Exposition Center's capacity can extend to a total of 175,000-ft² (0.162-km²). The Exposition Center was added in the $26 million renovation and expansion of the complex, completed in 1989.

Memorial Stadium

Adjacent to the east of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, along the St. Joseph River, stands Memorial Stadium, the first home of the Fort Wayne Wizards minor league baseball team.⁵ The 6,300-seat ballpark was officially dedicated April 18, 1993. The final baseball game to be played at the stadium was between the Wizards and the South Bend Silver Hawks, which occurred August 28, 2008.⁶ Starting in 2009, the franchise will have moved to a new ballpark, Parkview Field, at downtown Fort Wayne's Harrison Square. There has been talk of demolishing the stadium by July 2009.⁷

Grounds

The grounds immediately surrounding the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum display the anchor from World War II's USS Indiana battleship. Placed between the central complex and Memorial Stadium is an expansive parking lot, containing 4,500 available parking spaces.⁸ To the south and west along the St. Joseph River, lies Johnny Appleseed Park, containing the gravesite of American folklore figure John Chapman. To the north and northeast is the IPFW campus, especially the portion of the IPFW campus located on the western bank of the St. Joseph, on which a 151-room Holiday Inn is located.⁹

References

^ Fort Wayne News, Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-07-25.
^ NBA All-Star Games - Names and Numbers, Basketball Digest, March, 2002. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
^ http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,15733/NCAARoundsOutChampionshipsUntil2011.html
^ Who We Are, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Retrieved on 2008-07-24.
^ History - Memorial Stadium, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Retrieved on 2008-07-24.
^ West, Nick, Last game at Memorial Stadium was one to remember; Highlights included Olympian, freebies, tied mascot race, The News-Sentinel, 2008-08-29. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
^ Lanka, Benjamin, Stadium curtain call still to come; Wizards' last game tonight, but events likely till next July, The Journal Gazette, 2008-08-28. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
^ Our Facility - Parking, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Retrieved on 2008-07-24.
^ Glenn, Jenni, A fresh image for Holiday Inn; City hotel first in state with new logo, amenities, The Journal Gazette, 2008-07-21. Retrieved on 2008-07-25.

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.html

Contents