BALTIMORE COLISEUM--SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Baltimore's showplace--The Coliseum--was built in 1930 on the corner of Monroe Street and Windsor Avenue near the Pennsylvania Avenue entertainment area and held 4,500 people. As a professional sports venue, it had been superseded by the Baltimore Civic Center in 1961, which prompted the Coliseum's closure not long after. The building, after over four decades of disuse, was demolished in July, 2008. During its heyday, the Coliseum was not only a host to top-quality sports and entertainment, but was a social hub in the predominantly African American section of the city around Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Coliseum was home to the original Baltimore Bullets from 1944 to 1954. The Bullets won the city's first major league sports title in 1948. Baltimore took the BAA Title in a six game series over the Philadelphia Warriors. In the deciding game six on April 21 at the Coliseum, the Bullets overcame a 28-point scoring effort by Philadelphia's Joe Fulks to win the game 88-73. Chick Reiser lead the Bullets with 16 points while long-time Bullets Paul Hoffman and player-coach and future Hall of Famer Buddy Jeanette each chipped in 15.
Long before modern, state-of-the-art indoor arenas that host major sporting events, concerts and other entertainment venues; there were small, usually cramped, buildings in cities that served as the local showplaces. Baltimore was no exception.
Boxing served as one of the premier draws at the Coliseum and its most famous performer was boxing legend Archie Moore. The Mongoose, as he was called, won world championships in the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions and fought 20 times at the Coliseum with a 19-1 record and 12 knockouts. Most of his bouts here were between 1945 and 1951 as he went on to fight in larger venues, but after a 10 year absence, Moore return to fight at the Coliseum one last time. On October 23, 1961, nearly 4,000 fans packed the Coliseum to watch the 47-year-old Moore, then the world light-heavyweight champion, score a sixth-round TKO over Pete Rademacher, the 1956 Olympic heavyweight champ. Moore floors his rival eight times before the fight is stopped.
There was much more to the Coliseum than just sporting events. It was also a significant draw for concerts as well. Among the music artists who performed at the Coliseum were rock and R&B legends Chuck Berry, Bo Diidley, Carl Perkins, Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Joe Tex, Bobby Lewis, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Little Willie John, The Cadillacs and Nappy Brown.
When not being used for basketball, boxing, pro wrestling or concerts, the Coliseum served as a roller skating rink which made it a social hub for families and the community. It became known as an ideal first date location and many of Baltimore’s long time residences say they met their spouses and fell in love there.
