Richfield Coliseum

Richfield Coliseum,also known asthe Coliseum at Richfield,was an indoorarenalocated inRichfield Township,betweenClevelandandAkron, Ohio.It opened in 1974 as a replacement for theCleveland Arena,and had aseating capacityof 20,273 for basketball. It was the main arena for theNortheast Ohioregion until 1994, when it was replaced byGund Arena(now Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) indowntown Cleveland.The Coliseum stood vacant for five years before it was purchased and demolished in 1999 by theNational Park Service.The site of the building was converted to ameadowand is now part ofCuyahoga Valley National Park.

Richfield Coliseum

The Palace on the Prairie
Aerial view of the Coliseum and neighboring farms in 1975
Address	2923 Streetsboro Road
Location	Richfield Township, Ohio
Coordinates	41°14′43″N81°35′38″W
Owner	Gund Business Enterprises, Inc.
Operator	Gund Business Enterprises, Inc.
Capacity	Basketball:20,273 Ice hockey:18,544
Construction
Broke ground	March 16, 1973
Opened	October 26, 1974
Closed	September 24, 1994
Demolished	March–May 1999
Construction cost	US$36 million ($247 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	George E. Ross Architects, Inc.
Tenants
Cleveland Crusaders(WHA) (1974–1976) Cleveland Cavaliers(NBA) (1974–1994) Cleveland Nets(WTT) (1975–1977) Cleveland Barons(NHL) (1976–1978) Cleveland Force(MISL) (1978–1988) Cleveland Crunch(MISL) (1989–1992) Cleveland Lumberjacks(IHL) (1992–1994) Cleveland Thunderbolts(AFL) (1992–1994)

The arena was primarily the home to theCleveland Cavaliersof theNational Basketball Association(NBA), developed by Cavaliers ownerNick Mileti,who also owned theCleveland Crusadersof theWorld Hockey Association.Over the years it had additional tenants such as theCleveland Baronsof theNational Hockey League,Cleveland ForceofMajor Indoor Soccer League,Cleveland CrunchofMajor Indoor Soccer League,theCleveland Lumberjacksof theInternational Hockey League,and theCleveland Thunderboltsof theArena Football League.

It hosted the1981 NBA All-Star Game;The Buckeye Homecoming,the 1983 professional boxing match betweenMichael DokesandGerrie Coetzee;and the 1985 MISL All Star Game. It was also the site of the March 24, 1975 boxing match betweenMuhammad AliandChuck Wepner,which in part inspired the movieRocky.

The Coliseum was a regular concert venue, with its first event being a concert byFrank Sinatra.The first rock concert at the Richfield Coliseum, in October 1974, featuredStevie Wonderin October 1974.The last concert was byRoger Daltrey,in 1994; that was also the last official event at the arena.

History

The arena, which opened in 1974, replaced theCleveland Arena,which had 12,500+ boxing capacity, 10,000+ otherwise. The new arena seated 20,273 for basketball and 18,544 for hockey, and was one of the firstindoor arenasto containluxury boxes.Cavaliers founderNick Miletiwas the driving force behind the Coliseum's construction, believing that its location in northern Summit County south of Cleveland near the confluence of theOhio TurnpikeandInterstates 77and271was ideally suited given the growth ofurban sprawl.

The Coliseum was built in Richfield to draw fans from both ofNortheast Ohio's major cities, as nearly five million Ohioans lived within less than an hour's drive (in good weather) from the Coliseum. While the arena's location hindered attendance somewhat, the Cavaliers' average attendance was over 18,000 per game each of the last two seasons at the Coliseum. In a 2012 interview withESPN'sBill Simmons,basketball greatLarry Birdsaid that it was his favorite arena to play in. The Coliseum was the site of Bird's final game in the NBA.

The Force also drew well at Richfield: 20,174 attended when Cleveland took onMinnesotaon April 6, 1986, still the largest regular-season crowd (and the third-largest overall) ever to see an indoor soccer match in the US.

TheWorld Wrestling Federationalso promoted several notablepay-per-viewshows at the arena, includingSaturday Night's Main Event VII(taped September 13, 1986);Survivor Series (1987);Survivor Series (1988);andSurvivor Series (1992)

Attendance hindrances

Though a large arena at the time of construction, it had only oneconcoursefor both levels, which made for very cramped conditions when attendance was anywhere close to capacity. The Coliseum's real drawback was that the revenue-producing luxury suites were at the uppermost level and, as such, were the worst seats in the house. This situation was rectified at Gund Arena, where the suites were much closer to the playing area.

Also hurting attendance was the arena's location at the interchange of Interstate 271 andOhio State Route 303,which was a rural, two-lane highway outside of Richfield. The rural location made the Coliseum inaccessible to anyone without an automobile, and as the only true access to the arena was directly at the interchange, traffic became an issue with every Coliseum event, especially when attendance was anywhere near capacity.Lake-effect snowfromLake Erieprovided another obstacle to drivers during the winter months.

Demolition and environmental remediation

The Coliseum's fate was sealed in 1990, when voters inCuyahoga Countyapproved a newsin taxto fund theGateway Sports and Entertainment Complex,which included Gund Arena. The Cavaliers moved to Gund Arena at the beginning of the 1994–95 season.

In 1997, the hardwood floor was sold to Grace Christian School ofStaunton, Virginia.

After being vacant for five years, the arena was torn down in 1999, between March 30and May 21,and the arena footprint and surrounding parking areas were allowed to be returned to woodland as part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, nowCuyahoga Valley National Park.Two years later it was noted that the site appeared to have no trace of the former building,although a widened section ofRoute 303,as well as the remains of the parking lot entrance, reveal its location.

The site is now a grassy meadow and has become an important area for wildlife. Birds such as theEastern meadowlark,bobolink,and varioussparrowsnow inhabit the area. This has caused the site to become popular with local birders.

Seating capacity

Theseating capacityfor basketball was:

Years	Capacity
1974–1988	20,900
1988–1994	20,273

External links

• Details of the demolition at Independence Excavating's website|via=Wayback Machine
• Arenas by Munsey & Suppes

Events and tenants
Preceded by Cleveland Arena	Home of the Cleveland Cavaliers 1974–1994	Succeeded by Gund Arena/Quicken Loans Arena/Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Preceded by Oakland Coliseum Arena (Team was known asCalifornia Golden Seals)	Home of the Cleveland Barons 1976–1978	Succeeded by Met Center (Team merged withMinnesota North Stars)
Preceded by Capital Centre	Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1981	Succeeded by Brendan Byrne Arena