Tulsa Coliseum

Tulsa Coliseum circa 1943

The Tulsa Coliseum was an indoor arena built in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the corner of Fifth Street and Elgin Avenue. Walter Whiteside, a Minnesota millionaire, constructed it in 1928. It hosted the Central Hockey League's Tulsa Oilers from 1945 to 1951. The arena held 4,502 people. The arena was the original home of the Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team who played their first game there on January 1, 1929 against the Duluth Hornets.[1] That event not only officially opened the Coliseum, but also served as an introduction to ice hockey for the city of Tulsa. The facility boasted a $25,000 organ. Many other sporting events were held at the facility including rodeos, track meets, professional wrestling, and boxing matches.

The building was sold to Coliseum Corporation at a sheriff's sale in 1942. It was sold to Sam Avey in 1944.[1] Wrestling promoter Avey was the owner of the Tulsa Oilers hockey club in the 1940s.[2] At the time, the Oilers were affiliated with the United States Hockey League. Avey bought the Coliseum for $185,000, and it was also known as Avey's Coliseum.[2]

Avey also owned the radio station KAKC, and it broadcast from the Coliseum basement.[3] On September 20, 1952, the building was burned when it was struck by lightning.[3] The building’s wooden roof accelerated the fire.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ Tulsa Coliseum
  2. Tulsa Coliseum at Tulsa World.com

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tulsa World. "Only in Oklahoma:Tulsa Landmark Destroyed by Fire in '52."September 5, 2007. Accessed January 30, 2011. Tulsa Coliseum at Tulsa World.com
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Wrestling Alliance, The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling, p. 280, Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 1-55022-741-6
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Wrestling Alliance, The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling, p. 281, Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 1-55022-741-6

External links

Coordinates: 36°09′10″N 95°59′06″W / 36.15278°N 95.98500°W