Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

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Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Memorial Coliseum, The Jungle
Image:AllenCoWarMemorialColiseumLogo.jpg Image:Allen County Memorial Coliseum.jpg
Facility statistics
Location	Fort Wayne, Indiana
Coordinates	41°6′56″N 85°7′27″W / 41.11556, -85.12417
Opened	1952
Renovated	2002
Expanded	1989, 2002
Owner	Allen County, Indiana
Construction Cost	1952: $2,647,390 1989: $26 million 2002: $35 million
Architect	A. M. Strauss
Former names
War Memorial Coliseum
Tenants
Fort Wayne Komets (IHL/UHL/IHL) (1952-Present) IPFW Mastodons (Men's NCAA Basketball) (2001-Present) Fort Wayne Fusion (af2) (2007) Fort Wayne Pistons (NBA) (1952-1957) Fort Wayne Fury (CBA) (1992-2001) Fort Wayne Freedom (NIFL/UIF/CIFL) (2003-present) Fort Wayne Mad Ants (D-League) (2007-present)
Seating capacity
hockey or concert: 12,500 basketball: 13,000

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

It was originally built in 1952 for $3 million on the northwest corner of Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park. The coliseum was designed to seat 8,000 for hockey or 10,240 for basketball. A major renovation and expansion in 2002, which raised the coliseum's roof by 41 feet, increased the arena's seating capacity to 10,500 for hockey or music concerts and 13,000 for basketball.

The structure was designed by A. M. Strauss Architects for the Allen County, Indiana Commissioners. The coliseum was noted for its innovative use of a long-span, all-welded rigid steel frame, which at the time of construction in 1952 was the longest span for that technique.

Contents 1 Sports 2 Trivia 3 Related facilities 4 External links

[edit] Sports

It is home to the Fort Wayne Komets International Hockey League team, the IPFW men's basketball team, the Fort Wayne Freedom Continental Indoor Football League team, and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. [1]

The arena was home to the National Basketball Association's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1952 until the team's move to Detroit in 1957 and saw two NBA Finals, in 1955 and 1956, as well as the NBA All-Star Game in 1953. The arena was also home to the Fort Wayne Flames of the American Indoor Soccer Association in the mid-1980s; the team was also known as the Indiana Kick for a few seasons. IPFW hosted the 2000 NCAA Men's Division-I volleyball championship matches at the Coliseum; in addition, the 2000-02 Mid-Continent Conference men’s basketball tournaments were held there.

[edit] Trivia

To keep the ice frozen, there are ten miles of refrigeration pipes under the skating rink. When non-ice-skating events use the arena, a sectioned flooring surface is placed on top of the ice.

The grounds surrounding the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is home to the anchor from World War II's USS Indiana battleship. (The mast of that battleship is erected at Indiana University Bloomington's Memorial Stadium.)

[edit] Related facilities

Within the same building as the arena, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum contains a 108,000-ft² (0.100-km²) exposition center that can host substantial trade shows and 5,000-guest major banquets.[2] When there are no events in the arena, the exposition center's capacity can extend to a total of 175,000-ft² (0.162-km²). Adjacent to the east of the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and on the same grounds is the Allen County Memorial Stadium, which is the home of the Fort Wayne Wizards minor-league baseball team.[3] Adjacent to the northeast is the IPFW campus, especially the portion of the IPFW campus that is on the western bank of the Saint Joseph River, on which IPFW is building a Holiday Inn to serve the needs of the Memorial Coliseum, Memorial Stadium, and IPFW.[4]

[edit] External links

• Official web site
• 2002 construction details (PDF)
• Timeline: Important Precedents in Stadium Design by Columbia University

Preceded by North Side High School Gym 1948–1952

Home of the Fort Wayne Pistons 1952–1957

Succeeded by Olympia Coliseum 1957–1961

v • d • e Current Basketball Venues in The Summit League
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (IPFW men) • Athletics Center O'Rena (Oakland) • Bison Sports Arena (North Dakota State) • Centrum Arena (Southern Utah) • Frost Arena (South Dakota State) • Gold Dome (Centenary) • Hilliard Gates Sports Center (IPFW women) • IUPUI Gymnasium (IUPUI) • Mabee Center (Oral Roberts) • Municipal Auditorium (UMKC) • Western Hall (Western Illinois)

Current arenas in the International Hockey League

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | L.C. Walker Arena | McMorran Place | Perani Arena and Event Center | U.S. Cellular Coliseum | Wings Stadium

v • d • e Current arenas in the Continental Indoor Football League
Atlantic Conference	Blue Cross Arena · DCU Center · Dow Event Center · Mennen Arena · Perani Arena · Show Place Arena · Stabler Arena · Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Great Lakes Conference	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum · Hobart Arena · L.C. Walker Arena · Rockford MetroCentre · Sears Centre · U.S. Cellular Arena · Wings Stadium

Current arenas in the NBA Development League

Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | Anaheim Convention Center | Austin Convention Center | Bismarck Civic Center | Broomfield Event Center | Dodge Arena | Expo Square Pavilion | McKay Events Center | Qwest Arena | Rabobank Arena | Sioux Falls Arena | Staples Center | Tingley Coliseum | Wells Fargo Arena

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