The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum aka The Jungle is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Fort Wayne, in the U.S. state of Indiana, initially built in 1952 for nearly $3 million in Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum was originally designed to seat 8,103 for hockey or 10,240 for basketball. In 2002, an extensive renovation and expansion was put into motion, which raised the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum's roof by 41 feet, therefore increasing 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.
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum ranked 20th in the world among similar-sized venues by Venues Today, a concert and event publication for 2007.[1]
Sports[]
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is the current home of:
- the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL ice hockey league,
- the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne NCAA men's basketball team, and
- the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.
The arena has also been home to the National Basketball Association's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1952 until the team's move to Detroit, Michigan in 1957.
Events[]
In basketball, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum has hosted two NBA Finals, in 1955 and 1956, as well as the NBA All-Star Game in 1953[2] in addition to hosting the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Tournaments. The Coliseum was also the host venue to the 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Volleyball Championship matches. The University of Notre Dame hosted the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament Midwest Regional there. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum has also played host to various wrestling events as well.
Related facilities[]
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum complex includes the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Exposition Center and Holiday Inn, managed in cooperation with IPFW.
Exposition Center[]
Within the same complex as the arena, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Exposition Center contains 108,000-ft² (0.100-km²) devoted to hosting substantial trade shows, banquets, graduation ceremonies, concerts, truck and tractor pulls, and wrestling matches, with the capability of seating 7,500 guests.[3] When no events are scheduled for the arena, the Exposition Center's capacity can extend to a total of 175,000-ft² (0.162-km²). The Exposition Center was added in the $26 million renovation and expansion of the complex, completed in 1989.
The arena during a Komets hockey game.
Grounds[]
The grounds immediately surrounding the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum display the anchor from World War II's USS Indiana battleship. South and east of the central complex is an expansive parking lot, containing 4,500 available parking spaces.[4] To the south and west along the St. Joseph River, lies Johnny Appleseed Park, containing the gravesite of American folklore figure John Chapman. To the north and northeast is the IPFW campus, especially the portion of the IPFW campus located on the western bank of the St. Joseph, on which a 151-room Holiday Inn is located.[5]
References[]
- ↑ Fort Wayne News. Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved on July 25, 2008.
- ↑ NBA All-Star Games - Names and Numbers. Basketball Digest, (March, 2002). Retrieved on May 16, 2008.
- ↑ Who We Are. Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Retrieved on July 24, 2008.
- ↑ Our Facility - Parking. Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Retrieved on July 24, 2008.
- ↑ Glenn, Jenni, (July 21, 2008).A fresh image for Holiday Inn; City hotel first in state with new logo, amenities. The Journal Gazette. Retrieved on July 25, 2008.
External links[]
Template:Commons category
- Official site
- 2002 Construction details (PDF)
- Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Timeline: Important Precedents in Stadium Design by Columbia University
- IPFW Mastodons - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
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|- style="text-align: center;"
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|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"|Preceded by
North Side High School Gym
|width="40%" style="text-align: center;" rowspan="1"|Home of the
Fort Wayne Pistons
1952 – 1957
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"| Succeeded by
Olympia Coliseum
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|- style="text-align:center;"
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"|Preceded by
Boston Garden
|width="40%" style="text-align: center;" rowspan="1"|Host of the
NBA All-Star Game
1953
|width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"| Succeeded by
Madison Square Garden
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