The Chicago Coliseum

A photo of the Chicago Coliseum from 1910. Public domain.

Although it was actually the third structure to bear the name Chicago Coliseum, the one located at 1513 South Wabash Avenue is the best known and is what is usually associated with the name. It was built in 1899 by Charles F. Gunther, a candy manufacturer, after a fire destroyed the previous Chicago Coliseum which had been located at 63rd Street and Stony Island. The structure took up the two blocks between 14th and 16th Streets along Wabash Avenue. There was easy access to it via the EL station at Roosevelt Road on what is now called the Red Line and the 12 Street Central Station of the Illinois Central commuter rail line (now part of Metra).

The site had previously been occupied by the Libby Prison. Originally a warehouse in Richmond, Virginia, it was used as a prison for Civil War soldiers. In 1889 Gunther had the building disassembled and brought to Chicago where it was reconstructed and served as a Civil War museum. When the older Coliseum burned, Gunther, by now an alderman, demolished his museum and built the new Coliseum. The opening ceremonies were to include President William McKinley, along with brass bands, a parade and as much pomp and circumstance as could be drummed up, but unrest in The Philippines forced him to cancel.

The Coliseum served as Chicago’s most popular indoor arena and convention center from its opening in 1900 until the opening of the old Chicago Stadium in 1929. It continued to be used until 1971. Depending on how it was configured the building could accommodate between 6,000 and 12,000 people.

The Coliseum was the site of five consecutive Republican presidential conventions between 1904 and 1920 and was also the site of the 1912 convention of the Progressive Party. The annual First Ward Ball, which generally ended when the police had to be called, was also held there. It also seved as the home of the Chicago Blackhawks, the city’s NHL franchise.

With the opening of the Chicago Stadium in 1929 and the International Amphitheater in 1934, the Coliseum was relegated to less important functions. In 1929 it became the home of the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. In 1935 the Chicago Auto Show changed venues and moved to the International Amphitheater. The Coliseum was left to house roller derbys, wrestling (including a number of matches featuring Georgeous George), boxing matches and dance marathons. The first interracial basketball tournament was held there. Durint the Second World War it served as a training facility for our troops.

The building, along with the neighborhood, went into decline after the war. It mainly served as an arena for traveling revivalists. It also held speeches by Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1968 it housed a protest demonstration sponsored by the Yippies during the Democratic National Convention and the 1969 national convention of the Students for a Democratic Society.

Between 1968 and 1971 it served mainly as a venue for rock concerts using the name “The Syndrome.” Acts like The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Jethro Tull, Steppenwolf, Grand Funk Railroad, James Taylor and Carole King performed there.

Multiple fire code violations finally closed the Coliseum on March 13, 1971. After serving for parking cars and storing boats, it was demolished in 1982. Part of the facade was given to the Chicago History Museum. Only a portion of the stone wall from the building’s northwest corner remained and that was removed in the early 1990s. The Soka Gakkai USA Culture Center and Coliseum Park now reside on the site.

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