From Ted Wheeler's State of the City address:

Boo.

I am gonna disagree with you on this one, I think it should be preserved.

Why? That place is a dump

Many people would disagree with you.

It has potential to be much more than it is, and it would be a giant waste to get rid of it. As Portland continues to grow, it will be extremely difficult to replace it with a venue of a similar or greater size. Should we throw out the future of this arena just because the neighborhood has been historically underutilized?

There are significant issues with the building as it stands. Destruction of the Arena is not the only solution to the problem.

I feel like the MC needs to be saved only because it'll be a nice spot for a new arena when the Moda needs to be replaced. ;)

Exactly. Save it for a spot when our beloved Blazers need a new place one day

Many more people will disagree with you.


You obviously haven't been inside the structure. Or had to worry about how much it's going to cost to repair it and keep it open. I guess one person's treasure is another person's trash. The building is in horrible shape and even if repaired, is badly outdated. Theres studies after studies that have been done the kind of money that it will take just to fix all the things wrong with that ancient building and how much it will cost just to keep it operating.

And even if all that money is spent as the studies have said, the building will still be a financial loser, have too few rest rooms and a concourse way too cramped to handle even moderate sized crowds.

Sorry the cost of doing anything with it other than imploding it is way too steep. It's not a tourist attraction or a necessary venue in our city. It's a money pit with glass walls.
And it's about time this city finally comes to grips with that and uses the land for something that would bring value even profit to the city. A ballpark was a great idea but there are so many other choices a sports museum, a park, an entertainment district, condos. Whatever.

Just get rid of the aging money pit. If Yankee stadium can be destroyed and redeveloped. Candlestick park. Tiger stadium and all these other REAL national treasures what the heck is the Coliseum?

I do not agree with you. Yes, I have been inside Memorial Coliseum during brainstorming sessions for its redevelopment. To best explain my opposition, I refer to the Friends of Memorial Coliseum website:

http://www.coliseumfriends.org/recom...ext-steps.html

Oh I definitely have. I've seen basketball games, arena football games, all sorts of stuff. I really like the place. I don't argue that it needs work, only that it is shortsighted to throw the place in the trash.

We clearly have different opinions, and that's okay. I'll keep working to see it saved, and hopefully it will work out!

I say turn it in to a public market!!!-- with hotel rooms--best views in the city

This is precisely what I think the Blazers are doing. I think they're jerking us along with talk of saving it and repurposing it, none of which will ever happen. I mean, really now, it's been 25 years, what's another decade or two? The day the Blazers want a new arena, the MC will be leveled. Until then, it's a money pit. And when the Blazers do level it to build a new arena, there will be excuse after excuse about why the Rose Garden will need to be saved and repurposed... lather, rinse, repeat.

As bad of shape that the arena itself is in, it's auxiliary facilities like the basement conference spaces are even worse. They literally haven't been updated since the early 80s at best. If someone could find the money to update it as a top-notch hockey facility, great - but we all know the Portland City Council is never going to do that. Money on sports? Ha!

I'm pretty sure the Blazers aren't going to want (or need) a new arena anytime in the next 20 years. The arena is already too big as it originally had 21,400 seats and now there's about 2,000 less seats now per NBA game. They've also done millions of dollars in upkeep and renovations over the last five years, and can do much more before they need a new structure.

It is in good shape, it is a piece of mid-century modern design, also it is still very useful in the sense that it provides Portland with a midsized arena.

You don't need a midsize arena when you have the Rose garden next door

The Rose Garden and Memorial Coliseum are different sizes and serve different events. One existing doesn't negate the usefulness of the other. If you want to make a similar argument, a better approach would be to say there aren't enough events of the size served by VMC to justify its existence. I don't buy into that notion based on what I have read, and I'm absolutely rooting for its survival.

I'm not so sure about that. Detroit is building a new arena and leaving the Palace of Auburn Hills. Phoenix is planning to build a new arena. The Warriors are also getting a new on in SF. Dallas has talked about a new arena too.

It all boils down to revenue generation. Concrete arenas are really hard to remodel and structurally change the seat configuration. The are too many suites at the Moda up high but none at the lower levels, which could command higher prices. At some of the newer arenas, the upper level is being turned into a party zone to financially compensate for the cheap seats. It's not about the seat count anymore or the ability to do a soft remodel. If the Blazers think the current configuration isn't a money maker, they will want a new arena.

The Moda is (surprisingly) 22 years old. It's not too far-fetched to think that the Blazers will want to start discussions about a replacement within the next decade.

Why is it that you and others fail to see studies after studies showing VMC is a money pit that won't generate any positive revenue?