Chicago Coliseum

Chicago Coliseum was the name applied to three large indoor arenas, which stood at various times in Chicago, Illinois, from the 1860s to 1982. They served as venues for large national conventions, exhibition halls, sports events, and entertainment.

The first Coliseum stood at State and Washington streets in Chicago's downtown in the late 1860s.^[1] The second venue was located at 63rd Street near Stony Island Avenue in the south side's Woodlawn community (near the site of the 1893 World's Fair). It hosted the 1896 Democratic National Convention (known for the "Cross of Gold" speech), and several early indoor American football games. After hosting a notable convention for the then new and growing bicycle industry, it burned a few months later.

The third Chicago Coliseum was located at Wabash Avenue near 15th Street on the near south side. It hosted five consecutive Republican National Conventions, (1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920) and the Progressive Party National Convention in 1912 and 1916. It also hosted the Lincoln Jubilee in 1915. In the 1920s, it became a popular professional ice hockey venue, and hosted the worlds first roller derby, during the Great Depression. In the 1950s to early 1970s, the Coliseum served as a general admission venue for rock concerts, roller derbys, and professional wrestling matches. Generally closed in 1971, it was sold for redevelopment in 1982; however, portions of the building remained standing until the early 1990s.^[2] The Coliseum is commemorated in a public park named in its honor, across from its last site.