Completed in October 1964 on the Mid-South Fairgrounds, the 10,000-seat, mid-century modern Coliseum was Memphis’ first racially integrated public arena and quickly became “the people’s building,” hosting University of Memphis (then Memphis State) basketball, ABA and hockey, the WDIA Goodwill Revue, and era-defining concerts from the Beatles to Elvis. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 2000 for its extraordinary local significance in sports, music, and civic life. The Coliseum has been shuttered since 2006 due to operating losses and the cost of bringing the building into ADA compliance; city documents and reporting have put compliance and rehabilitation needs into the multi-million-dollar range. Despite repeated community efforts to reactivate the venue, the building remains vacant without a funded reuse plan and faces ongoing demolition pressure tied to Liberty Park projects, including a 2023 city proposal to clear the site for a new soccer stadium. The broader Liberty Park development is advancing, increasing redevelopment pressure on the still-idle Coliseum. The Tennessee Preservation Trust previously named it to the statewide “Ten in Tennessee” endangered properties list (2016).
