The St. Louis Coliseum was a venue in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

. The closing of the

1904 World’s Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 mil ...

left the city without a convention center for three years. A group of businessmen led by attorney Guy Golterman assembled $450,000 in private funding, and built the Coliseum at Washington and Jefferson Avenues. It was designed by Frederick C. Bonsack and occupied a full block. When the

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over ti ...

was laid on August 22, 1908, it was claimed the building would be the largest public building in the United States.Lay Cornerstone of St. Louis Coliseum - New York Times - August 23, 1908
/ref> It replaced the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall as the city's main convention and big entertainment center. Golterman was the Secretary to the Company and first manager of the Coliseum. Colonel Pickering managed it for some time. The building accommodated the 1916 Democratic nominating convention, wrestling and boxing matches, trade shows, and musical extravaganzas. Enrico Caruso performed in the Coliseum twice: first with the Metropolitan Opera Company in April 1910 and again in May 1919, giving a concert for

Liberty Loans A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financi ...

. Lack of parking, the emergence of neighborhood swimming pools, and

Kiel Auditorium Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena located in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the home of the St. Louis University basketball team and hosted the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, from 1955 to 1968. The site was home to Charles H. Turpin's Booker T. ...

, which opened in 1934, effectively ended the usefulness of St. Louis Coliseum. It was closed in 1939, and it was condemned as unsafe by the city in 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Louis Coliseum Sports venues in St. Louis Defunct boxing venues in the United States Defunct indoor arenas in the United States Sports venues completed in 1908 1908 establishments in Missouri Defunct sports venues in Missouri 1953 disestablishments in Missouri Indoor arenas in Missouri Demolished buildings and structures in St. Louis