Washington Coliseum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uline Arena, renamed the Washington Coliseum in 1959, was an indoor arena in Washington, D.C., that held 7,000 people. It hosted the Basketball Association of America's Washington Capitols, coached by Red Auerbach, and the American Basketball Association's Washington Capitals. It was also the site of the first Beatles concert in the United States on February 11, 1964.
The coliseum was built in 1941 by Miguel L. "Uncle Mike" Uline for his hockey team, the Washington Lions of the now defunct Eastern Amateur Hockey League. It has also been host to many performances and athletic events of varying types, including ice skating, martial arts, ballet, music, and speeches. One of its first events was a pro-America rally designed to promote U.S. entry in World War II, just weeks before Pearl Harbor.
The photograph of Bob Dylan on the cover of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits was taken at a concert at Washington Coliseum in 1966.
The building still stands today in the Old City/Near Northeast near Union Station. It was used as a trash transfer station by Waste Management, the company that handles trash disposal for the District of Columbia from 1994 to 2003, but is now used as an indoor parking lot.
In order to protect it from efforts to raze the building, it was added to the official protection list of the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board in November 2006. The site is being looked at as a centerpiece for various redevelopment projects for that area of town.