Coliseum at Richfield
| Coliseum at Richfield | |
|---|---|
| Location | 2923 Streetsboro Road Richfield, OH 44286 |
| Opened | 1974 |
| Closed | 1994 |
| Demolished | 1999 |
| Owner | |
| Tenants | |
| Cleveland Barons (NHL) (1976-1979) Cleveland Crusaders (WHA) (1974-1976) Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) (1974-1994) Cleveland Force (MISL) (1978-1992) Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL} (1992-1994) Cleveland Thunderbolts (AFL) (1992-1994) |
|
| Capacity | |
| Basketball: 20,273 Hockey: 18,544 |
|
The Coliseum at Richfield was an arena formerly located in Richfield Township in Summit County, Ohio, roughly halfway between Cleveland and Akron. It was home to the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, WHA's Cleveland Crusaders, NHL's Cleveland Barons, MISL's Cleveland Force, NPSL's Cleveland Crunch, the IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks, and the AFL's Cleveland Thunderbolts. It hosted the 1981 NBA All-Star Game and WWF's Survivor Series 1987, Survivor Series 1988, and Survivor Series 1992.
The arena, which opened in 1974, replaced the then-decrepit Cleveland Arena. The new arena seated 20,000 for basketball and 18,500 for hockey, and was one of the first indoor arenas to contain luxury boxes.
It also hosted many concerts, with its first event being a concert by Frank Sinatra.
Though a large arena at the time of construction it had only one concourse for both levels, which became crowded during games at which the attendance was anywhere close to capacity. The Coliseum was built in Richfield to draw fans from both of Northeast Ohio's major cities, as nearly 5 million Ohioans lived within less than an hour's drive (in good weather) from the Coliseum. While the arena's location hindered attendance somewhat, nevertheless, the Cavaliers' average attendance was over 18,000 per game each of the last 2 seasons at the Coliseum.
The Coliseum's real drawback was that the luxury suites, which generate much revenue, were at the uppermost level and as such were the worst seats in the house. Once plans for Gund Arena (now Quicken Loans Arena) in downtown Cleveland were announced in 1991, where the suites were much closer to the playing area, the Coliseum became economically obsolete.
After lying vacant for five years, the arena was torn down in 1999, and the arena and surrounding parking areas were allowed to be returned to woodland - which worked quite well given that the arena had been built off Interstate 271, which cuts through Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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| Preceded by Cleveland Arena 1970–1974 |
Home of the Cleveland Cavaliers 1974–1994 |
Succeeded by Gund Arena 1994–present |
| Preceded by Oakland Coliseum Arena 1967–1976 |
Home of the Cleveland Barons 1976–1979 |
Succeeded by last arena |
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