Nassau Coliseum

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Barn
The Old Barn
The Coli
Fort Neverlose
The Nassau Coliseum in 2021
Nassau Coliseum is located in New York
Nassau Coliseum
Nassau Coliseum
Location in New York State
Nassau Coliseum is located in the United States
Nassau Coliseum
Nassau Coliseum
Location in the United States
Address1255 Hempstead Turnpike
LocationUniondale, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°43′22″N 73°35′26″W / 40.72278°N 73.59056°W / 40.72278; -73.59056
Public transitBus interchange Nassau Inter-County Express: N70, N71[1]
OwnerNassau County, New York
OperatorNassau Live Center, LLC
Executive suites32
CapacityConcerts: 15,000
Basketball: 14,500[2]
Ice hockey: 13,917
Tennis: 6,500
Theatre: 4,500
SurfaceMulti-surface
ScoreboardDaktronics Inc.
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 20, 1969 (1969-01-20)[3]
Built1969–1972
OpenedFebruary 11, 1972
Renovated2015–2017
Expanded1976, 1983, 2017
ReopenedMarch 31, 2017 (renovations)
Construction costUS$32 million
($266 million in 2023 dollars[4])
ArchitectWelton Becket and Associates
Structural engineerSeverud Associates
General contractorIrwin Schlef[3]
Tenants
New York Islanders (NHL) (1972–2015, 2018–2021)
New York Nets (ABA/NBA) (1972–1977)
New York Sets/Apples (WTT) (1974–1977)
Long Island Tomahawks (NLL) (1975)
New York Arrows (MISL) (1978–1984)
New York Express (MISL) (1986–1987)
New York Saints (NLL) (1989–2003)
Long Island Jawz (RHI) (1996)
New York Dragons (AFL) (2001–2008)
New York Titans (NLL) (2007)
Long Island Nets (NBAGL) (2017–present)
New York Open (ATP) (2018–2020)
New York Riptide (NLL) (2019–2024)
Website
nassaucoliseum.com

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, Nassau County, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) east of the eastern limits of the borough of Queens in New York City, adjacent to the Meadowbrook Parkway. It is one of the larger public auditoriums in the New York metropolitan area.

Opened in 1972,[5] the Coliseum occupies 63 acres (25 ha) of Mitchel Field, a former Army airfield, later an Air Force base. The facility is located in the Town of Hempstead, within the Uniondale 11553 ZIP code. The Coliseum is used for sporting events, concerts, large exhibitions, as well as trade shows—44,000 square feet (4,100 m2) at the main arena, 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) at the Expo Center. In 2015, the arena was closed for a major renovation which was completed in April 2017.

The New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) played at the Coliseum from 1972 to 2015 before moving to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. After the move was commercially unsuccessful, the team split its home schedule between Barclays and the renovated Coliseum from 2018 to 2020 and played the home portion of their 2020–21 season at the Coliseum, before moving to the new UBS Arena at Belmont Park for the 2021–22 season, which is also on Hempstead Turnpike, 7.7 miles (12.4 km) west of the Coliseum.

It was also the home of the New York Nets (now known as the Brooklyn Nets) of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1972 to 1977 and the New York Riptide of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) from 2020 to 2024. In 2017, the venue became the new home of the Brooklyn Nets' NBA G League team, the Long Island Nets. Currently, the Nets serve as the building's main tenant.[6]

  1. ^ "Transportation to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum". 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  2. ^ "NYCB Live About Us". NYCB Live. September 29, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Hirshon, Nicholas (2010). NYCB Live. Images of America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-7357-1.
  4. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "The Garden has competition -- and it even has instant replay". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 5, 1972. p. 3B.
  6. ^ "New York Riptide Reaffirm Commitment To Long Island With Multi-Year Lease Extension With Nassau Coliseum". New York Riptide. November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.