Greensboro Coliseum Complex thread

[KJHburg]

Great aquatic center here today. 

[cityboi]

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex, which is already one of the largest complexes of is kind in the country is expanding again with a new indoor events space adjacent to the White Oak Amphitheater.

In addition construction is on going with the expansion of the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

What the coliseum now calls the White Oak Event Space will be an adjacent 20,000-square-foot multipurpose indoor venue for live music and other events.

The White Oak Event Space will join a complex that includes the coliseum’s 22,000-seat arena, 5,000-capacity Special Events Center mini arena,  the 7,000-capacity amphitheater, 300-seat Odeon Theatre, ACC Hall of Champions, The Terrace banquet room, the Greensboro Aquatic Center and The Fieldhouse, where the Greensboro Swarm, affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets plays.

Live Nation is partnering with the project which also brings music events downtown.

https://www.greensboro.com/blogs/gotriad_extra/new-event-space-under-construction-at-greensboro-coliseum-complex/article_8a6dc3dc-de44-5621-a4b1-d6ee2d6b5edd.html

Edited June 27, 2019 by cityboi

[cityboi]

Greensboro Coliseum Complex opens up new venue called Piedmont Hall. Nightclub style venue for concerts and other events 

https://www.greensboro.com/blogs/gotriad_extra/greensboro-coliseum-opens-new-entertainment-venue-piedmont-hall/article_845a2ad5-29f5-509c-9391-69f803919e98.html

Edited September 5, 2019 by cityboi

[cityboi]

More renderings of Piedmont Hall which is a Live Nation music venue 

 

[KJHburg]

so many events coming to Greensboro in 2020 lots  of people will be coming to town.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2019/11/07/2020-will-be-a-sports-business-bonanza-in.html

[cityboi]

4 hours ago, KJHburg said:

so many events coming to Greensboro in 2020 lots  of people will be coming to town.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2019/11/07/2020-will-be-a-sports-business-bonanza-in.html

Article also noted that the expanded Greensboro Aquatic Center is now the 4th largest indoor aquatic center in the United States.

[cityboi]

Greensboro Aquatic Center which is the 4th largest indoor aquatic center in the United States has been picked to host five more national championships. I remember when the Greensboro Aquatic Center hosted a high dive reality tv show that aired on National TV (FOX)

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2020/01/02/triad-venue-lands-major-swimming-events-with.html?iana=hpmvp_triad_news_headline

 

https://www.greensboro.com/sports/greensboro-aquatic-center-picked-to-host-five-more-national-championship/article_0948a2f5-643a-5fbc-ac50-ba3d17bb558f.html

Major sporting events in Greensboro in 2020

The 2020 Y-USA national championship meets are in addition to:

• 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Jan. 20-26 at Greensboro Coliseum

• 2020 ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb.19-22 at Greensboro Aquatic Center.

• 2020 Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 26-29 at Greensboro Aquatic Center.

• 2020 NCAA Division III Women’s & Men’s Diving, March 18-21 at Greensboro Aquatic Center.

• 2020 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, March 3-8 at Greensboro Coliseum.

• 2020 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, March 10-14 at Greensboro Coliseum.\

• 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, First/Second Rounds, March 20-22 at Greensboro Coliseum.

• 2020 Elite Club National League Girls Soccer Nationals: June 23-30.

• The annual PGA Wyndham Championship 

With 78,323 square feet under roof, the GAC has emerged as one of the top aquatic venues in the nation since opening in 2011. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by cityboi

[cityboi]

U.S. Figure Skating Championships begin Monday.

Greensboro will also be hosting WWE Live Smackdown tonight at the Greensboro Coliseum which will air natiotionally on FOX 

WWE Friday Night Smackdown | Greensboro Coliseum Complex

Two nationally televised sporting events within a week.

Greensboro may not have a major league sports team but its events like these that continue to give the city national exposure.

Give props to coliseum director Matt Brown who helps bring these events to the city. Matt Brown is the highest paid city employee and he deserves it.

ACC Men's Basketball Tournament returns to Greensboro in a little over a month after a number of years being held in Brooklyn.

The first and second rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament at the Coliseum will follow.

Edited January 17, 2020 by cityboi

[KJHburg]

I think the ACC and NCAA should automatically award at the next possible year Greensboro their respective tournaments again after banning fans from watching them in person due the Wuhan Virus.    This goes for all cities including Atlanta home of the Championship games this year.  No bidding should be required and it should be automatic. These host cities did nothing wrong. 

[cityboi]

6 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I think the ACC and NCAA should automatically award at the next possible year Greensboro their respective tournaments again after banning fans from watching them in person due the Wuhan Virus.    This goes for all cities including Atlanta home of the Championship games this year.  No bidding should be required and it should be automatic. These host cities did nothing wrong. 

I certainly agree. In light of these events the site locations of all tournaments that were cancelled should be postponed to next year despite other cities being awarded those dates.

Edited March 12, 2020 by cityboi

[gman430]

NCAA tournament officially cancelled.

[cityboi]

Greensboro Coliseum getting some national exposure tonight on FOX. The Coliseum is hosting WWE Smackdown tonight.

[cityboi]

Another wrestling event at the Greensboro Coliseum puts Greensboro on national TV.

All Elite Wrestling on TNT Christmas night.

The AEW is the emerging competition to the WWE.

Congrats to Coliseum director Matt Brown and his staff for attracting a number of high profile events to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex over the years. The Coliseum is one of Greensboro's most valuable assets and it spreads the city's name across the country. If you live in California and you've heard of Greensboro, its probably due to the PGA Wyndham Championship or an event held at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Edited December 26, 2021 by cityboi

[cityboi]

The Greensboro Coliseum which opened back in 1958 has expanded twice in seating capacity with two exterior designs. The complex has served Greensboro very well and is the one big asset that puts Greensboro on the map. However the coliseum must always stay relevant and keep up with the competition. While I don't think the coliseum arena should expand anymore with seating the exterior design is now over 30 years old and has become stale by comparison of newer arenas. The mayor hinted that at the state of the city address. I think the exterior of the coliseum arena needs a major overhaul with a more modern look. I would love to see more glass. Also raise the roof a little to create something similar to a flat dome on top with a large wrap around LED message/graphic board . In addition I think the city should consider selling part of the coliseum property to a developer to build an on-site hotel with a number of restaurants. Create a "downtown" pedestrian experience with on-site entertainment venues. There is so much under utilized land on the complex and there is too much parking lot space. Develope that land and build a parking deck. If the coliseum wants to continue to host premiere world class events such as the U.S. figure skating championship and continue to host the ACC tournament and other events, the city can't become complacent with this valuable asset for our community. It doesn't take long for arenas to become outdated.

 

One interesting fact. When the coliseum was first proposed in 1944, city officials were leaning towards a number of sites before they picked its current location. One site was near North Elm Street near Moses Cone Hopital but there were several sites downtown the city looked at. The only reason I can think of for it not being built downtown is because of NIMBYs. Keep in mind back in the late 40s and early 50s, downtown Greensboro was tiny by comparison to today. It was less developed and had more residential single family homes in close proximity so I can imagine residents of the day being in an uproar. There was not much development near the old fair grounds or residential at Lee Street and High Point  Rd (Gate City Blvd) the current location of the coliseum was pretty much on the outskirts of town back then.

Examples of more modern arenas. I'd like to see a redesigned exterior for the Greensboro Coliseum arena look similar. Imagine the coliseum having a flat dome top similar to the Seattle arena but covered with a wrap around LED board which could display event dates and motion graphic displays. Greensboro needs to sell the naming rights and get rid of "coliseum" in the name. Arenas these days are not being called coliseums anymore. That is so 1970s. They are called "centers" or "arenas". Toyota is investing heavily in the area. Maybe sell the naming rights to Toyota or even Honda since it has a big presence at PTI.

 

The Greensboro Coliseum  does top the list in one category in regards to arenas across the country! In regards to seating capacity its the largest in the United States.

Edited April 7 by cityboi

[victory]

11 hours ago, cityboi said:

The Greensboro Coliseum which opened back in 1958 has expanded twice in seating capacity with two exterior designs. The complex has served Greensboro very well and is the one big asset that puts Greensboro on the map. However the coliseum must always stay relevant and keep up with the competition. While I don't think the coliseum arena should expand anymore with seating the exterior design is now over 30 years old and has become stale by comparison of newer arenas. The mayor hinted that at the state of the city address. I think the exterior of the coliseum arena needs a major overhaul with a more modern look. I would love to see more glass. Also raise the roof a little to create something similar to a flat dome on top with a large wrap around LED message/graphic board . In addition I think the city should consider selling part of the coliseum property to a developer to build an on-site hotel with a number of restaurants. Create a "downtown" pedestrian experience with on-site entertainment venues. There is so much under utilized land on the complex and there is too much parking lot space. Develope that land and build a parking deck. If the coliseum wants to continue to host premiere world class events such as the U.S. figure skating championship and continue to host the ACC tournament and other events, the city can't become complacent with this valuable asset for our community. It doesn't take long for arenas to become outdated.

 

One interesting fact. When the coliseum was first proposed in 1944, city officials were leaning towards a number of sites before they picked its current location. One site was near North Elm Street near Moses Cone Hopital but there were several sites downtown the city looked at. The only reason I can think of for it not being built downtown is because of NIMBYs. Keep in mind back in the late 40s and early 50s, downtown Greensboro was tiny by comparison to today. It was less developed and had more residential single family homes in close proximity so I can imagine residents of the day being in an uproar. There was not much development near the old fair grounds or residential at Lee Street and High Point  Rd (Gate City Blvd) the current location of the coliseum was pretty much on the outskirts of town back then.

Examples of more modern arenas. I'd like to see a redesigned exterior for the Greensboro Coliseum arena look similar. Imagine the coliseum having a flat dome top similar to the Seattle arena but covered with a wrap around LED board which could display event dates and motion graphic displays. Greensboro needs to sell the naming rights and get rid of "coliseum" in the name. Arenas these days are not being called coliseums anymore. That is so 1970s. They are called "centers" or "arenas". Toyota is investing heavily in the area. Maybe sell the naming rights to Toyota or even Honda since it has a big presence at PTI.

 

The Greensboro Coliseum  does top the list in one category in regards to arenas across the country! In regards to seating capacity its the largest in the United States.

This was an interesting post. I enjoyed getting to know a little about the history behind this building. I went to Greensboro with my dad in the 80's to watch one of the NWA's Starcade wrestling events, and have been back only once since, a few years back, to catch a Rush concert with a friend from the area. I live in Columbia, and in the 70's and 80's the Greensboro Coliseum was a big deal, and still is apparently.  I like your ideas about modernizing it, and maybe updating the name (although Greensboro Coliseum is very recognizable throughout the region). In Columbia, we have the Colonial Life Arena, which opened in 2002. It seats 18,000, so is not as large as the Greensboro Coliseum. People down here are always debating whether the seating capacity should be reduced, to create a louder homecourt advantage for USC's basketball teams. It will never go larger, but I don't think it needs to remove seating. Our ladies' team sells the place out many times each season, and now there is renewed interest in the men's program, as well. Plus, we have concerts, and all that. Keep posting. I enjoy reading about this stuff. 

  

Edited April 7 by victory

[cityboi]

1 hour ago, victory said:

This was an interesting post. I enjoyed getting to know a little about the history behind this building. I went to Greensboro with my dad in the 80's to watch one of the NWA's Starcade wrestling events, and have been back only once since, a few years back, to catch a Rush concert with a friend from the area. I live in Columbia, and in the 70's and 80's the Greensboro Coliseum was a big deal, and still is apparently.  I like your ideas about modernizing it, and maybe updating the name (although Greensboro Coliseum is very recognizable throughout the region). In Columbia, we have the Colonial Life Arena, which opened in 2002. It seats 18,000, so is not as large as the Greensboro Coliseum. People down here are always debating whether the seating capacity should be reduced, to create a louder homecourt advantage for USC's basketball teams. It will never go larger, but I don't think it needs to remove seating. Our ladies' team sells the place out many times each season, and now there is renewed interest in the men's program, as well. Plus, we have concerts, and all that. Keep posting. I enjoy reading about this stuff. 

  

In years past it was all about a large seating capacity in arenas but by the late 1990s, many arenas reduced their seat and the new ones were built with about 17,000 to 18,000 seat for basketball. Before the old Charlotte Coliseum was demolished it had 500 more seats than the Greensboro Coliseum with 24,000 seats. But even today its amazing to think that a city the size of Greensboro has the largest seating capacity arena in the United States and the city doesn't even have a major league sports team.

Edited April 7 by cityboi

[victory]

21 hours ago, cityboi said:

In years past it was all about a large seating capacity in arenas but by the late 1990s, many arenas reduced their seat and the new ones were built with about 17,000 to 18,000 seat for basketball. Before the old Charlotte Coliseum was demolished it had 500 more seats than the Greensboro Coliseum with 24,000 seats. But even today its amazing to think that a city the size of Greensboro has the largest seating capacity arena in the United States and the city doesn't even have a major league sports team.

That's a really good point. Bigger than Madison Square Garden..wow!

[HRVT]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:34 AM, cityboi said:

In years past it was all about a large seating capacity in arenas but by the late 1990s, many arenas reduced their seat and the new ones were built with about 17,000 to 18,000 seat for basketball. Before the old Charlotte Coliseum was demolished it had 500 more seats than the Greensboro Coliseum with 24,000 seats. But even today its amazing to think that a city the size of Greensboro has the largest seating capacity arena in the United States and the city doesn't even have a major league sports team.

But without any real team to call the Coliseum home, what's the point of having such a large venue? After 2029, the ACC tournament is never coming back in anything resembling current form (IMO, the only reason it comes back is if the league is badly watered down... and even then Charlotte is more convenient considering the geographical spread of the conference now).

To me, the city would be smart to looking into contraction in the next renovation (which would probably be needed come the early-30s). The concourses are barely sufficient for half the capacity of the arena as is. IMO, the best move is to reduce capacity to about 15-16K (still plenty large enough to host the NCAA Tournament). The city would also be wise to look into development opportunities near the arena as there's basically nothing there (which is also a detractor). Maybe one day, Greensboro can get AHL Hockey (or even ECHL hockey) back. 

But at its current size, how often does Greensboro Coliseum actually need that many seats vs say maybe 2/3-3/4 the current capacity? Maybe a couple concerts per year?

ADD: Personally, I think the city should simply look into demolishing the Coliseum and building one closer to downtown with a 13-14K capacity or so... but for a number of reasons that will never happen

Edited April 8 by HRVT