Greensboro Coliseum Complex - History

History

The complex was first proposed in 1944 by the city's mayor. The idea was to create a war memorial to honor veterans of World War I and World War II. The building was approved by city officials in 1956, followed by a groundbreaking in January 1958. With its opening in 1959, the complex held four venues: War Memorial Auditorium, Town Hall Auditorium, The Blue Room and the Greensboro Memorial Coliseum. The complex opened on October 29, 1959 for historic show, "Holiday on Ice". Shortly after its opening, the coliseum began to scout for a hockey team. Partnering with the EHL, the city formed the "Greensboro Generals". The teams first match was November 11, 1959 against the Washington Presidents. The Generals won the game 4–1. The Generals would go on the win the EHL Championships.

Over the years, the complex hosted several conventions, sporting and musical events. To meet demands, the coliseum expands its seating to 15,000 in 1972. Six years later, the complex expanded to include an exhibition center, known at the time as the Greensboro Coliseum Complex Exhibition Building (shortened to Exhibition Building). The building's first event was "Super Flea", a flea market for the Triad area. In 1991, the coliseum's manager (Jim Evans) proposed an additional expansion of the complex. This expansion would raise the seating capacity of the coliseum an additional 8,000 (adding a third tier) to 23,000. It would also see The Blue Room demolished to make way for a small arena in the Exhibition Hall (now called the Special Events Center).

The venue reopened in December 28, 1993 for the "Reunion Classic, a men's basketball game against the UCLA Bruins and NC State Wolfpack. This game was met with controversy as the coliseum was not fully complete at the time of the game. City officials paid $200,000 to have firefighters on stand by during the game. The coliseum and the newly expanded exhibition hall did not meet state and city building codes nor fire regulations. Additionally, the coliseum did not hold the permits to host the event. This irrational decision resulted in city council firing both the coliseum manager and its contractors, Huber, Hunt and Nichols, Inc. (known for the Time Warner Cable Arena, BB&T Center (Sunrise) and the Consol Energy Center). It was later determined it would take an additional ten months to have the complex comply with regulations. The city added in additional $20 million dollars to the budget to renovate the coliseum and the auditorium.

Additional expansions came in 2003 when the complex added the 30,000 sqft Pavilion (also called the GCC Pavilion). Two years later, the complex would renovated the old Town Hall Auditorium into the smaller Odeon Theatre. In 2011, the complex added three additional venues: the White Oak Amphitheatre, the Greensboro Aquatic Center and the ACC Hall of Champions. Since its opening, the complex has been visited by nearly 57 million people and hosts over 800 events per year.