PORTLAND | New Haven Coliseum to be Imploded Saturday

[pdxstreetcar]

Designed by Kevin Roche & John Dinkeloo
Opened 1972, Closed 2002

Implosion Saturday (1/20/07) 7:30 am

http://www.geofffox.com/albums/downtown-new-haven-connecticut/new_haven_coliseum.sized.jpg
http://www.geofffox.com/gallery/downtown-new-haven-connecticut/new_haven_coliseum

http://www.krjda.com/images/NHColiseum_1.jpg
www.krjda.com

http://www.krjda.com/images/NHColiseum_2.jpg
www.krjda.com

More Info:
Wikipedia: New Haven Coliseum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven_Coliseum)
AP: New Haven coliseum will be imploded Saturday (http://www.norwalkadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-16141902.apds.m0942.bc-ct--impljan16,0,7960850.story?track=rss)

[MolsonExport]

I reckon that ugly bastard will not be missed.

[JManc]

looks like a giant playstation 2

[Scruffy]

ive never seen an implosion. Im totally going to try and make it

[Awkab]

Oh...that's what that thing was!

I've driven in New Haven a few times, and I've always figured it was some sort of weird parking garage. Yep...don't imagine that will be missed.

Any news on what will be put in its place?

[James Bond Agent 007]

Hmmm. I think it's kinda interesting looking.

Oh well.

[LandofFrost]

Hmm, in a very stark, martian sort of way, i kind of like it. Put it in a mad max movie and i would fit perfectly. :tup:

[Rizzo]

I was just looking at pictures of the demolition of the arena portion. Man is this a strange building!

[PhillyRising]

Wow...I wonder if the person who designed this thing was on some sort of bad LSD trip.......

[rapid_business]

so it's all parking on top?

[Independence]

:previous:
Yeah, looks like the whole parking structure has been put onto the arena - Never seen anything like this before. Must admit that this is pretty cool and a very smart solution.
Doesn't look toooooo bad (seen worse), but that's a matter of opinion....

[rapid_business]

no, it does look terrible. Parking belongs underneath. (perhaps not at the time of construction, but it sure does now).

[Rizzo]

There's a building in my hometown like this. It was a department store and they put all the parking on top. When the building went abandoned they had to take the parking down because it was having structural problems. Not sure why, but all of the buildings that have this ALWAYS seem to have some sort of structural issue. I guess the heavy live loads, rain, and ice aren't so friendly for these types of structures, and the problems are carried below.

I read the coliseum had some issue with concrete breaking off. Also, I can't imagine driving up that long helix ramp.

Saw a video on YouTube of this thing coming down. Pretty cool.

[rapid_business]

link? I can't seem to find it on YouTube.

[CGII]

I guess I'm alone in saying it looks cool as hell, nonetheless of the inefficiency and uselessness.

[vid]

Watching CNN last night with mom...

"Look, what happened to that building?"

*Building implodes*

That's just how ugly it was, folks! :tup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTUZKK-zhRY

[Wheelingman04]

That was the weirdest arena I have ever seen.

[Scruffy]

i wish i had gone but, damn i hate having a job. grrr.

[ArchWatcher]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=new+haven+coliseum

Watch it Implode!!!

[roseville]

Gives new meaning to the phrase "We Bombed in New Haven".

[rds989]

When I was at Yale in the mid-90s, I used to daydream about imploding that place. It was so huge and ugly.

New Haven had a 1950s and 1960s period of bizarre city-planning grandiosity that it never grew into. It has the highway infrastructure, for example, of a much larger city.

[ctman987]

Some information...

The New Haven Coliseum opened in 1972 in downtown New Haven. The coliseum did a great business but arena competition grew fierce as new, bigger and better arenas opened. Three years after the Coliseum opened the Hartford Civic Center opened around 1975 in downtown Hartford (former home of the Hartford Whalers). Later the Arena at Harbor Yard opened in nearby downtown Bridgeport and most recently arena space has been created at the Mohegan Sun Casino in southeastern CT (home of the WNBA CT Sun). The last even at the coliseum was in 2002.

The city decided that they wanted the coliseum to come down but got into a long dispute with the State about whether the city or the state should pay for the demolition.

Now that the arena has been demolished this area has lots of potential because of its close proximity to the rest of downtown which is thriving thanks to Yale University. The rest of downtown is filled with shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, coffee houses, bookstores, theaters and offices. Downtown New Haven has truly improved over the years and with room for expansion hopefully it will continue to improve.

The plans are to relocate Gateway Community College from its two campuses (one in New Haven and one in North Haven) to one big one at the site. This plan is similar to when Capital Community College relocated into one big campus at the former G Fox Department Store in downtown Hartford. The second part of the plan is to relocate the Long Wharf Theater from the waterfront area to this site. There are also plans I believe for retail, office and residential space.

Of course on a scary note...the site will be TEMPORARILY paved over as a parking lot until work begins on the college and theater.

[ArchWatcher]

http://www.irish-architecture.com/architects_ireland/kevin_roche/images/columbus_distant.jpg
this building still stands tall!
http://www.scholarsresource.com/images/thumbnails/192/p/pub0036.jpg

[Lecom]

Can you possibly build a more oppressive arena?

And who the hell decided to put the garage on top?

[rapid_business]

wow...that was a delayed post!?

[Ayreonaut]

Why does the thread title say Portland? Confused the shit outta me.