Richfield Coliseum

Richfield Coliseum
The Palace on the Prairie
	Aerial view of the Coliseum and neighboring farms in 1975
Address	2923 Streetsboro Road
Location	Richfield Township, Ohio
Coordinates	41°14′43″N 81°35′38″W / 41.24528°N 81.59389°W
Owner	Gund Business Enterprises, Inc.
Operator	Gund Business Enterprises, Inc.
Capacity	Basketball: 20,273; Ice hockey: 18,544
Construction
Broke ground	March 16, 1973
Opened	October 26, 1974
Closed	September 24, 1994
Demolished	March–May 1999
Construction cost	US$36 million; ($247 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	George E. Ross Architects, Inc.
Tenants
	Cleveland Crusaders (WHA) (1974–1976); Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) (1974–1994); Cleveland Nets (WTT) (1975–1977); Cleveland Barons (NHL) (1976–1978); Cleveland Force (MISL) (1978–1988); Cleveland Crunch (MISL) (1989–1992); Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL) (1992–1994); Cleveland Thunderbolts (AFL) (1992–1994)

Richfield Coliseum, also known as the Coliseum at Richfield, was an indoor arena located in Richfield Township, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,273 for basketball. It was the main arena for the Northeast Ohio region until 1994, when it was replaced by Gund Arena (now Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) in downtown Cleveland. The Coliseum stood vacant for five years before it was purchased and demolished in 1999 by the National Park Service. The site of the building was converted to a meadow and is now part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The arena was primarily the home to the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), developed by Cavaliers owner Nick Mileti, who also owned the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association. Over the years it had additional tenants such as the Cleveland Barons of the National Hockey League, Cleveland Force of Major Indoor Soccer League, Cleveland Crunch of Major Indoor Soccer League, the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League, and the Cleveland Thunderbolts of the Arena Football League.

It hosted the 1981 NBA All-Star Game; The Buckeye Homecoming, the 1983 professional boxing match between Michael Dokes and Gerrie Coetzee; and the 1985 MISL All Star Game. It was also the site of the March 24, 1975 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, which in part inspired the movie Rocky.^[5]

The Coliseum was a regular concert venue, with its first event being a concert by Frank Sinatra. The first rock concert at the Richfield Coliseum, in October 1974, featured Stevie Wonder in October 1974.^[6] The last concert was by Roger Daltrey, in 1994; that was also the last official event at the arena.

^ Chakerian, Peter (September 24, 2014). "Remembering the Richfield Coliseum: From 1974 to 1994, 'The Palace on the Prairie' was Northeast Ohio's sports, entertainment mecca". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c The Richfield Coliseum
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ "Levin Serious About New Arena for Hub". United Press International. May 12, 1977. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
^ Chuck Wepner's official website. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
^ Scott, Jane. "Stevie Wonder rocks Coliseum" The Plain Dealer October 29, 1974: B2

[1] Chakerian, Peter (September 24, 2014). "Remembering the Richfield Coliseum: From 1974 to 1994, 'The Palace on the Prairie' was Northeast Ohio's sports, entertainment mecca". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 10, 2015.

[figures-2] The Richfield Coliseum

[inflation-US-3] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[4] "Levin Serious About New Arena for Hub". United Press International. May 12, 1977. Retrieved March 28, 2012.

[5] Chuck Wepner's official website. Retrieved January 12, 2008.

[6] Scott, Jane. "Stevie Wonder rocks Coliseum" The Plain Dealer October 29, 1974: B2

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Construction
The Palace on the Prairie^[1]

Aerial view of the Coliseum and neighboring farms in 1975

Address	2923 Streetsboro Road
Location	Richfield Township, Ohio
Coordinates	41°14′43″N 81°35′38″W / 41.24528°N 81.59389°W / 41.24528; -81.59389
Owner	Gund Business Enterprises, Inc.
Operator	Gund Business Enterprises, Inc.
Capacity	Basketball: 20,273 Ice hockey: 18,544
Broke ground	March 16, 1973
Opened	October 26, 1974^[2]
Closed	September 24, 1994^[2]
Demolished	March–May 1999
Construction cost	US$36 million^[2] ($247 million in 2023 dollars^[3])
Architect	George E. Ross Architects, Inc.^[4]
Tenants
Cleveland Crusaders (WHA) (1974–1976) Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) (1974–1994) Cleveland Nets (WTT) (1975–1977) Cleveland Barons (NHL) (1976–1978) Cleveland Force (MISL) (1978–1988) Cleveland Crunch (MISL) (1989–1992) Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL) (1992–1994) Cleveland Thunderbolts (AFL) (1992–1994)