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The Coliseum was originally built as a Civil War prison in Richmond, Virginia, the capitol of the Confederacy.Ê During the 1880's, 200,000 stones were marked, shipped and reassembled in Chicago as a Civil War Museum.Ê In the 1890's it wasÊ reconstructed as the Coliseum, the scene of many national political conventions. In 1908, future President William Taft was nominated there.Ê Although it was succeeded later by the Chicago Stadium and the Amphitheater, up until the 1920's, thisÊwas the place in Chicago.Ê It continued in operation until the early 1970's. Also, the 1967 Chicago Bulls played there.
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The Coliseum on South Wabash provided a convenient site for all kinds of large civic affairs. Throughout the country it was famous because both political parties had chosen it many times for national conventions. Ê But Chicagoans knew it best at this time as the site of the notorious annual First Ward balls staged by the amiable and corrupt "bosses" of the central city - "Hinky Dink Kenna and John "The Bath" Coughlin - to raise money for the democratic organization.Ê On these joyous occasions, the city's political swells mixed with hoi polloi at the levee, and thousands would frolic far into the night. Ê In 1908 one reporter counted two bands, two hundred waiters, one hundred policemen, 35,000 quarts of beer and 10,000 quarts of champagne.Ê All of this was easily consumed before the hosts "sent for reinforcements."Ê "It's a lollapalooza," said Hinky Dink with measured understatement.Ê "All the business houses are here, all the big people.Ê Chicago ain't no sissy town." Ê Not many other places could have handled the crowds so easily, and perhaps no other townspeople could handle the refreshments so comfortably.
On June 12, 2003 Dwotal@aol.com wrote: For your information: it was a few blocks west of where soldier's field stands today on Wabash between 16th and 17th streets. I know it was built in 1897 and survived until at least 1940. The reason the hawks vacated the coliseum and moved to the chicago stadium in 1929 was because the coliseum only sat 6,000 and the coliseum couldnt make artificial ice and was dependent upon cold weather for ice to be made. During those 3 seasons the hawks were forced to play some of their home games in alternate cities due to the warm winters of the late 1920s. I saw that your website didnt have any pictures of the chicago coliseum.
On August 31, 2005 Eric L. of Chicago, Illinois wrote: Hello, This is a wonderful site. I especially love the pictures and interesting facts on old arenas, ballparks, stadiums...
I just wanted to contribute a bit of history I learned on television last night.
The Chicago Coliseum was mentioned during an episode of Chicago Tonight with Bob Sirott. They periodically run a segment that has 5-10 minute features called Chicago Stories with John Calloway, the retired ex-host of Chicago Tonight. Last night (8/30/05) they ran a small segment on Charles Gunther. He was a Chicago candy shop owner (Michigan avenue shop) among his many pursuits...and apparently at the shop he had a collection of Civil War era memorabilia located upstairs that guests would frequently visit. Mr. Gunther became quite an important historical collector...among his items are reportedly the Lincoln death bed and various bloodied garments worn the night of Lincoln's assasination. Supposedly there was even an actual hair fiber from Lincoln as well.
Mr. Gunther seized an opportunity to purchase the infamous Confederate war prison: Libby Prison (Virginia), have is disassembled and brought to Chicago where it was reassembled as the Libby Prison Civil War museum and it housed the above mentioned Lincoln items. At its height of popularity in the early 1890s the museum hosted Civil War tours run by ex-civil war veterans. In 1893 Chicago hosted the Columbian Exposition and that brought the museum more fame. After the turn of the century the war enthusiasm waned and Gunther who eventually became a city alderman would die. The Lincoln and other Civil War memorabilia would be acquired by the Chicago Historical Society. As for Libby Prison it would be renovated and the insides would become the Chicago Coliseum. Essentially Libby Prison was the facade of the Chicago Coliseum. It lasted until 1983 when it was demolished, but in it's lifespan 6 presidential candidates were nominated there and it even had Jimi Hendrix and The Doors perform concerts there. It was also the first home of the Chicago Blackhawk franchise.
As for the Lincoln memorabilia there was a vague mention of possible DNA testing to authenticate it since Mr. Gunther was apparently not the most scrupulous authenticator of his collection.
I hope this was of use or interest and I look forward to the additions you add as new facilities are added throughout sports.
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