Basketball
The Lights Go Out on Charlotte Coliseum
Workers prepare Charlotte Coliseum for tomorrow's implosion -- five years after the Hornets abandoned it because of the arena's lack of amenities.
(By Chuck Burton -- Associated Press)
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The Charlotte Coliseum will be demolished tomorrow -- five years after its lack of luxury suites and premium seating led the NBA's Hornets to leave town and two years after it was made redundant by a glitzy replacement.
A facility that hosted 364 consecutive NBA sellouts, the 1994 Final Four, numerous concerts and even a speech by Mother Teresa will be reduced to rubble, making way for an office park.
"As nice as the building was, it was as someone said, the last of the propeller airplanes before the jets came," said Max Muhleman of Charlotte-based Private Sports Consulting.
Construction of the 24,000-seat arena began in 1986, with Charlotte intent on staying in the ACC basketball tournament rotation. Plans included luxury boxes, but only eight of the high-priced suites.
The Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit opened the same year with 180 luxury suites and expensive club seats, a key difference that became a financial boon for the Pistons.
The Coliseum's deficiencies were masked for years by the Hornets' success.
Before the $52 million building's completion in 1988, the NBA awarded George Shinn an expansion franchise, giving the arena a major tenant. His team lost its first game by 40 points and received an ovation.
-- From News Services
