Jacksonville Coliseum
| The Coliseum The Sports Mecca of the South |
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Exterior of the venue c.1996
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| Former names | Jacksonville Coliseum (1960–68) |
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| Location | 1145 East Adams St Jacksonville, Florida 32202 |
| Owner | City of Jacksonville |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | 10,276 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 24, 1960 |
| Renovated | 1995 |
| Closed | June 20, 2003 |
| Demolished | June 26, 2003 |
| Construction cost | US$3 million ($24.9 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | A. Eugene Cellar, George Ryad Fisher |
| General contractor | Daniel Construction |
| Tenants | |
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Jacksonville Rockets (EHL) (1964–72) Jacksonville Dolphins (NCAA) (1969–99) The Floridians (ABA) (1971–72) Jacksonville Barons (AHL) (1973–74) Jacksonville Tea Men (NASL) (1980–84) Jacksonville Bullets (SuHL, SHL) (1992–96) Jacksonville Stingrays (WBL) (1992) Jacksonville Lizard Kings (ECHL) (1995–2000) Jacksonville Tomcats (AF2) (2000–02) Jacksonville Barracudas (ACHL) (2002–03) |
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The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum (originally the Jacksonville Coliseum) was a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. Built in 1960 and known as "northern Florida's most historic concert venues", it was home to most of the city's indoor professional sports teams and hosted various concerts, circuses and other events. It was demolished in 2003 and replaced with the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
The Coliseum was dedicated November 24, 1960. The general contractor was Daniel Construction, and construction took two years and cost $3 million. The first event was the first ice hockey game ever played in Jacksonville, featuring the New York Rovers and Charlotte Clippers on November 30. The first events scheduled included an automobile show, a boat show, boxing matches, the circus, an ice skating show, a pro basketball exhibition game and a tennis tournament.
Ice hockey teams based in the Coliseum included the Jacksonville Rockets (1964–1972) of the Eastern Hockey League, the Jacksonville Barons (1973–74), the Jacksonville Bullets (1992–96), and the Jacksonville Lizard Kings (1995–2000). (Fans of the Lizard Kings referred to the coliseum as the "Reptilian Pavilion.") The American Basketball Association franchise known as The Floridians played some of its home games there in 1971 and 1972.
The Jacksonville Dolphins utilized the coliseum for their home basketball games from 1969–99, and it hosted the 1981 Sun Belt Conference and 1999 and 2000 Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball tournaments.
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