Detroit Olympia
| The Old Red Barn | |
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| Location | 5920 Grand River Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48208 |
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| Coordinates | 42°21′16″N 83°6′2″W / 42.35444°N 83.10056°WCoordinates: 42°21′16″N 83°6′2″W / 42.35444°N 83.10056°W |
| Owner | City of Detroit |
| Operator | City of Detroit |
| Capacity | 15,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 8, 1927 |
| Opened | October 15, 1927 |
| Closed | February 21, 1980 |
| Demolished | 1987 |
| Construction cost | US$2,500,000 ($34.5 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | C. Howard Crane |
| General contractor | Walbridge Aldinger Co. |
| Tenants | |
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Detroit Cougars/Falcons/Red Wings (NHL) (1927–79) Detroit Falcons (BAA) (1946–47) Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1957–61) Detroit Olympics (IHL) (1927–36) |
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The Detroit Olympia was an indoor arena that stood at 5920 Grand River Avenue in Detroit from 1927 until 1987. It was best known as the home of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team of the National Hockey League from its opening until 1979.
Several Detroit businessmen organized the Detroit Hockey Club, Inc. in 1926 and purchased the Victoria Cougars hockey team, along with a site at the corner of Grand River Avenue and McGraw Street to construct an arena. In July 1926, the Detroit Hockey Club unveiled drawings for the Olympia arena to be built on the site. The cornerstone for the building was laid by Mayor John W. Smith on March 8, 1927.
The Olympia opened on October 15, 1927; at that time the only other buildings that exceeded its seating capacity were Madison Square Garden and the London Olympia The opening event was the International Stampede and Rodeo, which ran from October 15 to October 22. Shortly thereafter, the primary tenants of the building, the NHL Cougars, began their long residence. The Cougars played their first game at the Olympia on November 22, 1927, and Detroit's Johnny Sheppard scored the first goal at the new building. However, the visiting Ottawa Senators defeated the Cougars, 2–1. The Cougars later became the Falcons and finally, in 1932, were named the Detroit Red Wings by new owner James E. Norris.
In addition to the Red Wings, the Olympia was also home to the Detroit Olympics International-American Hockey League minor league team in the 1930s and the NBA's Detroit Pistons from 1957 to 1961. It hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1959 and the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship (known as the "Frozen Four") in 1977 and 1979.
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