Located at 801 Bagby Street in Downtown Houston, the Coliseum and Music Hall complex replaced the Sam Houston Hall, which was a wooden structure that had been erected on the site for the 1928 Democratic National Convention and torn down in 1936.[1] The Public Works Administration contributed $1,329,508 to the project designed by architect Alfred C. Finn. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on November 4, 1936.[2] The arena opened in November 1937 and had a capacity of 9,200. It was built in conjunction with the Houston Music Hall, which was adjacent to the Coliseum.
Notable performers
On October 14, 1956, Elvis Presley's concert at the Coliseum ended abruptly, as he and his band were taken away by police escort, just before the end of the show as a mob of about 1,000 teenagers rushed the stage, their instruments being destroyed as a result.
Trapeze (band) performed at the Colisseum on Saturday, October 21, 1972. The show was recorded and released as a double live album in 2021 called "Trapeze Live in Houston 1972."
Stevie Ray Vaughan with Double Trouble (band) performed at the venue on November 24, 1989, on his last tour before Vaughan's tragic death in a helicopter crash nine months later.
The Black Crowes played a free concert at the venue on February 6, 1993. The free show was due to security problems that forced the cancellation of a show during a previous Houston visit. The show was broadcast nationally on radio across North America and also was videotaped for the video "Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye". The audio version was released on EPs, dubbed "High in Houston". This would be the last concert performed at the Coliseum before it was demolished.
Sports
In 1946, permanent ice chillers were installed in the floor to accommodate an ice hockey rink for Houston's first pro ice hockey team – the Houston Skippers of the USHL. The Skippers changed their name the following season to the Houston Huskies and called the Coliseum home until their demise in 1949.
The venue also played host to the Houston Apollos, of the CPHL, from 1965 to 1969; the Houston Aeros, of the WHA, from 1972 to 1975 and the Houston Apollos of the CHL, from 1979 to 1981. The Aeros moved to The Houston Summit, which opened in November 1975 and played their final three seasons there.
The Houston Mavericks, a charter member of the American Basketball Association, played their home games in the Coliseum. However, the Houston franchise was plagued by mismanagement and low attendance. In 1969, the team relocated and became the Carolina Cougars. The Mavericks drew less than 500 fans for most games; their final game in Houston drew just 89 fans.[6]
By the 1970s, the arena was starting to show its age. Its fate was effectively sealed in 1971, when the NBA's San Diego Rockets moved to Houston and insisted on building a new arena—what became the Summit—as a replacement. When the Rockets arrived, they would not even consider playing in the Coliseum while the Summit was being built, deeming it inadequate even for temporary use; instead, they played their first few seasons at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Sam Houston Coliseum was demolished in 1998.[1] The former site of the Sam Houston Coliseum was redeveloped into the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 2003.
