The Hive is no longer Alive, brings tears to my eyes to think about that, now we have to refer to our new arena as the Cable Box, which is cool and an all around better facility (technology, location, and entertainment) but just doesn't have the memories the Hive did.
RIP Charlotte Colusum i remember seeing the stings and the circus in you you were only 20 years old and now your land sits there on Tyvola Rd. EMTEY NO BUILDINGS. Scerw u Mason Zimmerman
RIP Charlotte Colusum i remember seeing the stings and the circus in you you were only 20 years old and now you land sits there on Tyvola Rd. EMTEY NO BUILDINGS. Scerw u Mason Zimmerman
@cag1970 Mason Zimmerman was the lead developer for the new development that was supposed to occupy that space. It was called Citipark and was supposed to have lots of paved bike paths and access to Charlotte's first "official" mountain bike trail at Renaissance Park. We lost over a mile of trail and now the land sits empty with people poaching and setting up deer stands and bait barrels. What a waste....
@thecyclepath1, it's been a while since I was last over in that area of town. I actually live and work on the opposite side of Charlotte. What happened to Citipark? Did the economic downturn here scuttle it? I actually wrote a novel a couple years ago where Citipark had actually been built, but given a different name for legal reasons. It happened to be the impact point of a football-field sized asteroid.
@cag1970 Basically a football sized asteroid called the "Recession". I'm pretty sure his company either ran out of money or went bankrupt. Shame to see all that empty "treeless" land just sit there. Was some really sweet single track at one time. Oh, well. :P
@wiccanmoonman, you're not the only one to think of Bush as the village idiot...In fact, there's someone in Ottawa who thinks the same way, and is holding a cold Molson for me.
For anyone who wants to know, the ONLY reason the second Charlotte Coliseum was built where it was was because of the cost of the land. That was the bottom line. As a result, it was one of two major sports venues that could not be readily reached by public transportation - ARCO Arena in Sacramento being the other. And even if the NBA had never granted Charlotte a franchise, this building was going to be built to keep up with arenas in Greensboro and Chapel Hill.
Hold citizens hostage and build a fancy new arena to suck the taxpayers dry. Decide nineteen years later that you can build an even newer area that is again supported by taxpayers who can't even afford the price of a ticket and let the original team that fans had rooted for leave just to start all over again. Its sheer madness!.
@BOOGE64, I still hold the City of Charlotte's feet to the fire on this one. They didn't build that building for the Hornets, because the NBA hadn't even granted Charlotte a franchise before ground was broken. It was all about keeping up with Greensboro and Chapel Hill, and ultimately, with Cleveland and Minneapolis. But they also couldn't keep up with the NCAA, and that was also a major problem.
@Billyfn1218, even before the second Coliseum was imploded, much of Charlotte's concert business was going to Verizon Amphitheater (formerly Blockbuster Pavilion), north of UNC-Charlotte. Concerts are also held at Time Warner Cable Arena downtown, and smaller concerts are still held at Grady Cole Center, over by the main campus of CPCC.
It's a shame they tore that building down. I was there at a Jimmy Buffett concert around 2005 and it still looked exactly the same as it did in December 1988 when I went to my first Hornets game to see them play the Nets. I'm sure it needed some updates but it still looked great. What a waste of taxpayer money!
I watched the progress of them building itand I went to several games and events there and It was somethin I saw very often in my travels down Tyvola Rd...I was actually sittin on the yard at Camp Green when they did this and I hated I couldnt see this happen......Its almost like they stepped on Hugo...Fuck George Shin.
@cag1970 , yes it was - I am a born and raised Charlottean, and it was ALL George Shinn's fault. We both come from a generation where people accept responsibility for there actions. There is no excuse for what Shinn did.
@savannahsdad, I'm a native too, and it was NOT all Shinn's fault. I don't agree with Shinn's dalliances, but that should have had nothing with that team leaving Charlotte. If the city fathers had done what they should have done in the first place - build that building downtown and not listen to all the squealing and squawking from the people - the Hornets would still be here.
Sad to see that place destroyed. I used to LOVE going there to watch the Hornets play. That video almost brings a tear to my eye.....well, not really, but it is a bummer that it's gone.
Yep, that's where Grandma-ma played! For those who don't know, "Grandma-ma" was the alter ego of Larry Johnson, a forward for both the Hornets and the Knicks during his NBA career.
This is what they did to a $52 million dollar facility that was only 17 years old and still in it's prime. Charlotte's tax dollars gone to waste (as ususal). Charlotte will waste your tax dollars in a heartbeat. This is a shining example of it.
The building wasn't in its prime when it was destroyed. It was still a good building, but it was in need of some updates. The Hornets were gung-ho to renovate it, even wanted to pay for improvements to it, but in the end the city fathers said no.
The biggest problems - the lack of luxury boxes and the NCAA's decision to only play the Men's Final Four in domed stadiums. And from the looks of things, traditional arenas will only be hosting games in the first round in the future.
I wish they would have gave the fans one last look inside the stadium before it was demolished.. There may be a video or pictures out there somewhere.. but I would like to see what the stadium looked like the years after the hornets and right before the destruction..
the hell I wanna know is why is these arenas (Charlotte Coliseum, Miami Arena, soon to be Orlando Arena after next season) get demolished when they are still in good shape?
The second Coliseum didn't have enough luxury boxes - and the city refused to allow the Hornets to pay to put new ones in - and in Miami and Orlando, they gave new meaning to the term "sky box". I like Orlando's building, but I wouldn't want to sit in those boxes - too high up.
The Charlotte Coliseum was the last of its kind. Thanks to the likes of Target Center and Quicken Loans Arena, and the NCAA, the big traditional arena is a thing of the past in our country.
You might not like me too much then, yankeesrule...I'm a Flyers fan...Nothing against the Islanders, mind you - they're okay in my book - but I've been pulling for Philadelphia for the longest. Until the Whalers relocated to North Carolina and became the Hurricanes, we didn't have a team of our own to pull for.
I loved going to Charlotte Hornets games when I was younger. We had season tickets and I had so many memories created in that building. And there were people in the video actually celebrating the implosion. Very callous. This coliseum was so much better than the new uptown arena anywhere.
I liked the Charlotte Coliseum as well. Great building. But Time Warner Cable Arena is nice, too. The main reason for the cheering was because the implosion went well, not because people were happy to see the building go.
Even so, the cheering was still very inappropriate. If the Bobcats would have played at the Hive, I would have still gone to some games but now I don't care to go to any. I remember the good old days watching LJ, Zo, DC, G-money, Mugsy, etc. Plus it was great having so much parking.
The Bobcats did play at the Hive during their first season (2004-05). And David Thompson, the NC State star, ended up buying the Hydra-Rib 1100 goal supports that the Bobcats, Hornets and Sting all played on during the building's lifetime.
I know they played their first seson there and I went to some games that year, but it was already known they were building a new arena. I'm saying I would have gone a lot had they left the coliseum and played all their seasons there. The bobcats stink anyway. It will just never be the same.
And I still don't the cheering was inappropriate at all. If you watch the implosions of other sports venues like the Kingdome, Three Rivers Stadium, and Veterans Stadium, you'll definitely here it. All those venues were great facilities. What better way to remember all the cheering that went on inside them than by cheering a successful demolition. It'd be great to save them all, but it's just not realistic.
They're building a mixed-use development called City Park on the old coliseum property. I don't know how the work is progressing over there, as I don't make it to that side of town very often these days.
Time Warner Cable Arena is where the Bobcats play. The arena is in the shadow of the big buildings in downtown Charlotte, at the intersection of North Brevard and East 5th streets.
Why would the city of Charlotte implode this building after only 20 years especially when the Bojangles Arena which is a much older facility still remains standing and in use?
Bojangle's Coliseum is actually designated as a historical landmark, so it's unlikely it'll ever be destroyed. The second Coliseum, however, did not enjoy such a distinction. It was a great facility, but it was the last of its kind ever built in this country. Newer arenas like Target Center and Quicken Loans arena hastened its demise. The city simply didn't want to pay for the renovations, and for some strange reason, they didn't want the Hornets to pay for them, either.
I wonder if the city knew that the NCAA was going to change the rules concerning the final four locations in the future.
The coliseum was nice that I know. I never understood why they built it where they did though. It should've been built uptown (downtown folks, stop calling it uptown, that is silly) where it belongs to begin with. Why do you want an arena on the edge of town anyway? Thats like the Knights playing out in Fort Mill. They belong in the center of town, not out in some field
To answer the first question - yes, they knew. In fact, the last Final Four to be played in a traditional arena was the 1996 contest at East Rutherford, New Jersey--just two years after Charlotte hosted its only Men's Final Four and the same year it hosted its only Women's Final Four.
The main reason they put the Coliseum where they did was because of money--land downtown would have been 10 times more expensive, and that was in 1980 dollars.
I feel your pain, sjk0214. But as I've said before, it wasn't all the Hornets' fault. In fact, I still think it was a blessing that George Shinn didn't bring Michael Jordan on board as a partner. That, more than anything, turned the people against him.
Do you think the Carolina Hurricanes would have done better in Charlotte than they were when they were in Greensboro and right now, in Raleigh, had they used the Coliseum?
Charlotte's been a good town for the Checkers, but I don't think that success would've translated to an NHL team. Besides, they had problems getting ice to lay properly at the Coliseum. That's one of the reasons the Checkers never moved there.
o ok. Because I think I read somewhere about two years ago that there was an September 1991 exhibition game between the Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers supposed to be playing at the Hive, and there were ice problems that caused it to get cancelled.
That's exactly what the Hornets wanted to do and were willing to pay for, but the city fathers, in their finite wisdom, didn't want to lose the everyman seating in favor of more luxury boxes. It would have been a win-win for everyone, but civic pride got in the way of good business sense.
To be fair, though, the Coliseum was obsolete for one of the main reasons it was built--to attract the NCAA Men's Final Four. After the 1996 final at East Rutherford, New Jersey, the NCAA ruled that all men's Final Four venues must be able to seat at least 30,000 people. That means only a few select cities--Houston, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Indianapolis among them--get to play host now.
Dude i just watched this for the first time. And that brought a tear to my eyes because i live all the way up in ny now and i grew up in gastonia!! And as many times as i went there as a kid its just heart breaking!!
I saw the Grateful Dead there twice, in 1992 and again in '94. I actually moved to Charlotte a couple of years ago and got to look down into the demolished remains of the Coliseum just before they imploded it. It was a really eerie feeling, because they had already practically obliterated it, even thought the superstructure was still standing. It seems like a huge waste to me. I agree, it is really sad. But the big boys with all the big bucks make all of the decisions, I suppose.
Just a shame.. I really hate that we build these awsome arenas for a lot of money and they only have a life span of around 10 years.. I heard that around year 9 of the Coliseum they wanted a new arena.. is that true?? I have the same feeling about my beloved Miami Arena.. yeah it didnt have much but opened in 1988 lost its team in 1999 just about 10 years :(
Yes, that's true, unfortunately...But the Coliseum was out of date soon after it was built. So, too, were Miami Arena (which has been replaced) and Amway Arena (which will soon be replaced). New arena designs in places like Cleveland and Minneapolis helped hasten the demise of the Coliseum.
@Eaglezfan5 I agree. Some people are so retarded. Maybe perhaps it's because professional sports arenas these days are located downtown. I guess having the arena outside the city is obsolite.
Seeing this video is a rather sad sight for me. The Charlotte Coliseum held many memories for me as I went to countless Hornets games with my Dad. I will always remember the sounds and sights of the ol' arena. I sure do miss it
Oh yeah, I feel you, FighterFan. I went to a lot of Hornets games too. And I can also remember going to a game between UNCC and West Virginia in the early 1990s. The 49ers set an attendance record with that game, with something like 13,000 people turning out.
Unfortunately, Charlotte is just like every other NBA city now. A lot of people blame the Hornets for that, but it really wasn't all their fault. The City made some missteps too. Hopefully, the Bobcats will get into the playoffs within the next couple years and get some more fans behind them.
I was in there once, back in 89, for a Hornets-Lakers game, the Lakers were schooling the young expansion Hornets, but you wouldn't know it from the amazing crowd reaction, 23,000 plus, cheering loudly everytime the Hornets did something positive, even though the game was out of reach, the joy of just having a major league team in their city was in the air that night, this city has some real civic pride and deserves everything great that happenning for them.
I've never been to the the Charlotte Coliseum...But, I used 2 watch Hornets games during my childhood on WFXI-8/WYDO-14 (FOX-New Bern/Morehead City/Greenville, NC) and WRDC-28 (UPN-Raleigh/Durham, NC) and let me tell you these were the good-old days of Charlotte Hornets basketball with LJ, Muggsy, Zo, Glen Rice, Eddie Jones and co...Also, I have good memories of watching ACC Tournaments and the Diet Pepsi Tournament of Champions on Raycom as well...That atmosphere back then was better than 2dayz
Ah, somebody from Down East! Thanks for watching and writing in! Always a pleasure to hear from my bretheren on the opposite side of the state.
I made many visits to the Coliseum in its day. It was a great building, and I hated to see it go. And, telling my age now, I still remember when WRDC was NBC affiliate WPTF (and owned by Durham Life Broadcasting).
Oh, ur welcome...I was about 9 years old when I moved to Raleigh in 1998...I am 19 now, about to graduate from High School and become a freshman at NC Central...But, I wish the Hornets were still here, if it wasn't for Shinn's greediness.
It wasn't all George Shinn's fault. Long story short, the City of Charlotte is just as much to blame. Contrary to popular belief, the second Coliseum was not built specifically to house the Hornets. The NCAA changed the rules for hosting the Final Four, so that only large domed stadiums can realistically host. And the construction of Blockbuster Pavillion (now Verizon Ampitheater) took away some concert dates.
Man I had no idea that this even happened. I was searching you tube to find some old wrestling matches there and I found this. Unbelievable!! I just can't believe it's gone!! I am originally from Charlotte and I have been to many wrestling matches there!! I remember back in the day seeing Ric Flair and the Rock-n-Roll Express and many others there. Man it sucks!! Many memories...I even got thrown out of that place for throwing a cup of ice on a wrestler...LOL!!! Sad to see it destroyed!!
Yep, sad to say that the second Charlotte Coliseum is gone...But the original Charlotte Coliseum--what is now Cricket Arena--still stands out on Independence Boulevard. THAT was the hotbed of wrestling in this town.
I remember when I was little the Scoreboard fell inside the colliseum. Many Concerts and Games in that building.. They still could have done more with it, in my opinion
I agree. It was a great facility for basketball. And the scoreboard debacle ranks as one of the funniest moments in sports. I'm just happy no one got hurt.
I from NY but I got relatives in NC and I know back in the day that place used to get louder than anywhere icluding Sacramento or any other arena, They had nothing on charlotte back when LJ,Mogusy and Zo where around truly sorry to see it go
You're right, it was a loud building! It was truly a basketball palace. The Coliseum's closest extant twin is the RBC Center up in Raleigh. They were both designed by the same firm.
indeed hopefully that feeling the hornets first captured can happen again in charlotte you guys were the trend setters no doubt RBC is also nice and my cousin also likes the coliseum up in Gboro which I believe is now the largest facility in the carolinas.
I haven't been to RBC yet, although I have driven past it on a couple occasions. The knock I have on the Greensboro Coliseum is that the concourses are so narrow. Getting beyond that, it's a nice building. I think the concourses at the old-old Charlotte Coliseum (now Cricket Arena) are wider.
It was a great venue, and it didn't have to meet that fate. But the City forced the team's hand, when the City refused to let the team pay to renovate the building.
I know exactly what you mean. The Charlotte Coliseum truly was the last of its kind. And as much as I love the Bobcats, I'm honor-bound to pull for the Hornets whenever they come to town.
The Hive is no longer Alive, brings tears to my eyes to think about that, now we have to refer to our new arena as the Cable Box, which is cool and an all around better facility (technology, location, and entertainment) but just doesn't have the memories the Hive did.
southparkline1 2 days ago
i remember going on a road trip in 03 when i was 7 to see the stings play i had so much fun bring the hornets back to charlotte
NickelodeonRewind2 8 months ago
RIP Charlotte Colusum i remember seeing the stings and the circus in you you were only 20 years old and now your land sits there on Tyvola Rd. EMTEY NO BUILDINGS. Scerw u Mason Zimmerman
mrbellybutton9 8 months ago
RIP Charlotte Colusum i remember seeing the stings and the circus in you you were only 20 years old and now you land sits there on Tyvola Rd. EMTEY NO BUILDINGS. Scerw u Mason Zimmerman
mrbellybutton9 8 months ago
@mrbellybutton9, who is Mason Zimmerman?
cag1970 8 months ago
@cag1970 Mason Zimmerman was the lead developer for the new development that was supposed to occupy that space. It was called Citipark and was supposed to have lots of paved bike paths and access to Charlotte's first "official" mountain bike trail at Renaissance Park. We lost over a mile of trail and now the land sits empty with people poaching and setting up deer stands and bait barrels. What a waste....
thecyclepath1 7 months ago
@thecyclepath1, it's been a while since I was last over in that area of town. I actually live and work on the opposite side of Charlotte. What happened to Citipark? Did the economic downturn here scuttle it? I actually wrote a novel a couple years ago where Citipark had actually been built, but given a different name for legal reasons. It happened to be the impact point of a football-field sized asteroid.
cag1970 7 months ago
@cag1970 Basically a football sized asteroid called the "Recession". I'm pretty sure his company either ran out of money or went bankrupt. Shame to see all that empty "treeless" land just sit there. Was some really sweet single track at one time. Oh, well. :P
thecyclepath1 7 months ago
Charlotte sucks I can't wait to move Ottawa, Ontario, Canada or Edmonton, Alberta, Canada either case I leaving this shity country in my rearview.
wiccanmoonman 1 year ago
@wiccanmoonman, good luck, God bless you, and hope you find happiness in the Great White North!
cag1970 1 year ago
@cag1970 I will I have more friends there than here they left during the dark ages when bush aka the village idiot was in office
wiccanmoonman 1 year ago
@wiccanmoonman, you're not the only one to think of Bush as the village idiot...In fact, there's someone in Ottawa who thinks the same way, and is holding a cold Molson for me.
cag1970 1 year ago
@cag1970 I moving there as soon as finish my transition from male to female.
wiccanmoonman 1 year ago
@wiccanmoonman no ontario boring stff in canada is MORE expensive then in the USA
shipsinker432 1 year ago
For anyone who wants to know, the ONLY reason the second Charlotte Coliseum was built where it was was because of the cost of the land. That was the bottom line. As a result, it was one of two major sports venues that could not be readily reached by public transportation - ARCO Arena in Sacramento being the other. And even if the NBA had never granted Charlotte a franchise, this building was going to be built to keep up with arenas in Greensboro and Chapel Hill.
cag1970 1 year ago
Hold citizens hostage and build a fancy new arena to suck the taxpayers dry. Decide nineteen years later that you can build an even newer area that is again supported by taxpayers who can't even afford the price of a ticket and let the original team that fans had rooted for leave just to start all over again. Its sheer madness!.
BOOGE64 1 year ago
@BOOGE64, I still hold the City of Charlotte's feet to the fire on this one. They didn't build that building for the Hornets, because the NBA hadn't even granted Charlotte a franchise before ground was broken. It was all about keeping up with Greensboro and Chapel Hill, and ultimately, with Cleveland and Minneapolis. But they also couldn't keep up with the NCAA, and that was also a major problem.
cag1970 1 year ago
SOOOOO SAD. SOOOOO MANY MEMORIES
jkwan3292 1 year ago
Sad, Stupid idiots! They could have put something in there, But instead kill nostalgia.
elevatordudedave97 1 year ago
Where r they gonna put a new concert arena?
Billyfn1218 1 year ago
@Billyfn1218, even before the second Coliseum was imploded, much of Charlotte's concert business was going to Verizon Amphitheater (formerly Blockbuster Pavilion), north of UNC-Charlotte. Concerts are also held at Time Warner Cable Arena downtown, and smaller concerts are still held at Grady Cole Center, over by the main campus of CPCC.
cag1970 1 year ago
@cag1970 Then there IS hope
Thanks
Billyfn1218 1 year ago
@cag1970 Cool! Thanks
Billyfn1218 1 year ago
This really sucks to see it go! Leading me to think that Charolette doesn't want HUGE acts coming there anymore
Billyfn1218 1 year ago
@Billyfn1218 why....they have a better arena there ??? lol
davbball30 1 year ago
It's a shame they tore that building down. I was there at a Jimmy Buffett concert around 2005 and it still looked exactly the same as it did in December 1988 when I went to my first Hornets game to see them play the Nets. I'm sure it needed some updates but it still looked great. What a waste of taxpayer money!
delta1273 1 year ago
I watched the progress of them building itand I went to several games and events there and It was somethin I saw very often in my travels down Tyvola Rd...I was actually sittin on the yard at Camp Green when they did this and I hated I couldnt see this happen......Its almost like they stepped on Hugo...Fuck George Shin.
JarrodsVideos 1 year ago
@JarrodsVideos , this wasn't all George Shinn's fault.
cag1970 1 year ago
@cag1970 , yes it was - I am a born and raised Charlottean, and it was ALL George Shinn's fault. We both come from a generation where people accept responsibility for there actions. There is no excuse for what Shinn did.
savannahsdad 1 year ago
@savannahsdad, I'm a native too, and it was NOT all Shinn's fault. I don't agree with Shinn's dalliances, but that should have had nothing with that team leaving Charlotte. If the city fathers had done what they should have done in the first place - build that building downtown and not listen to all the squealing and squawking from the people - the Hornets would still be here.
cag1970 1 year ago
that coliseum wasnt even 20 years old yet
mapboy78 1 year ago
so many amazing memories
mwheeling7 1 year ago
Sad to see that place destroyed. I used to LOVE going there to watch the Hornets play. That video almost brings a tear to my eye.....well, not really, but it is a bummer that it's gone.
awbjr9871 2 years ago
is this wear "Grandma ma" played?
heatseeker213 2 years ago 2
Yep, that's where Grandma-ma played! For those who don't know, "Grandma-ma" was the alter ego of Larry Johnson, a forward for both the Hornets and the Knicks during his NBA career.
cag1970 2 years ago
This is what they did to a $52 million dollar facility that was only 17 years old and still in it's prime. Charlotte's tax dollars gone to waste (as ususal). Charlotte will waste your tax dollars in a heartbeat. This is a shining example of it.
Mowac 2 years ago
The building wasn't in its prime when it was destroyed. It was still a good building, but it was in need of some updates. The Hornets were gung-ho to renovate it, even wanted to pay for improvements to it, but in the end the city fathers said no.
The biggest problems - the lack of luxury boxes and the NCAA's decision to only play the Men's Final Four in domed stadiums. And from the looks of things, traditional arenas will only be hosting games in the first round in the future.
cag1970 2 years ago
I wish they would have gave the fans one last look inside the stadium before it was demolished.. There may be a video or pictures out there somewhere.. but I would like to see what the stadium looked like the years after the hornets and right before the destruction..
SlowSS01 2 years ago
the hell I wanna know is why is these arenas (Charlotte Coliseum, Miami Arena, soon to be Orlando Arena after next season) get demolished when they are still in good shape?
Xavier1215 2 years ago
The second Coliseum didn't have enough luxury boxes - and the city refused to allow the Hornets to pay to put new ones in - and in Miami and Orlando, they gave new meaning to the term "sky box". I like Orlando's building, but I wouldn't want to sit in those boxes - too high up.
The Charlotte Coliseum was the last of its kind. Thanks to the likes of Target Center and Quicken Loans Arena, and the NCAA, the big traditional arena is a thing of the past in our country.
cag1970 2 years ago
what about nassau coliseum
yankeesrule009 2 years ago
Other than the fact that the Islanders play there, I'm not really familiar with Nassau Coliseum.
cag1970 2 years ago
it was built in the 70s it is one of the few original arenas left i have been there i am an islander fan it is like an old barn
yankeesrule009 2 years ago
You might not like me too much then, yankeesrule...I'm a Flyers fan...Nothing against the Islanders, mind you - they're okay in my book - but I've been pulling for Philadelphia for the longest. Until the Whalers relocated to North Carolina and became the Hurricanes, we didn't have a team of our own to pull for.
cag1970 2 years ago
I loved going to Charlotte Hornets games when I was younger. We had season tickets and I had so many memories created in that building. And there were people in the video actually celebrating the implosion. Very callous. This coliseum was so much better than the new uptown arena anywhere.
dfphilli704 2 years ago
I liked the Charlotte Coliseum as well. Great building. But Time Warner Cable Arena is nice, too. The main reason for the cheering was because the implosion went well, not because people were happy to see the building go.
cag1970 2 years ago
Even so, the cheering was still very inappropriate. If the Bobcats would have played at the Hive, I would have still gone to some games but now I don't care to go to any. I remember the good old days watching LJ, Zo, DC, G-money, Mugsy, etc. Plus it was great having so much parking.
dfphilli704 2 years ago 7
The Bobcats did play at the Hive during their first season (2004-05). And David Thompson, the NC State star, ended up buying the Hydra-Rib 1100 goal supports that the Bobcats, Hornets and Sting all played on during the building's lifetime.
cag1970 2 years ago
I know they played their first seson there and I went to some games that year, but it was already known they were building a new arena. I'm saying I would have gone a lot had they left the coliseum and played all their seasons there. The bobcats stink anyway. It will just never be the same.
dfphilli704 2 years ago
And I still don't the cheering was inappropriate at all. If you watch the implosions of other sports venues like the Kingdome, Three Rivers Stadium, and Veterans Stadium, you'll definitely here it. All those venues were great facilities. What better way to remember all the cheering that went on inside them than by cheering a successful demolition. It'd be great to save them all, but it's just not realistic.
cag1970 2 years ago
They're building a mixed-use development called City Park on the old coliseum property. I don't know how the work is progressing over there, as I don't make it to that side of town very often these days.
cag1970 2 years ago
Time Warner Cable Arena is where the Bobcats play. The arena is in the shadow of the big buildings in downtown Charlotte, at the intersection of North Brevard and East 5th streets.
cag1970 2 years ago
Why would the city of Charlotte implode this building after only 20 years especially when the Bojangles Arena which is a much older facility still remains standing and in use?
sxwrulz 2 years ago
Bojangle's Coliseum is actually designated as a historical landmark, so it's unlikely it'll ever be destroyed. The second Coliseum, however, did not enjoy such a distinction. It was a great facility, but it was the last of its kind ever built in this country. Newer arenas like Target Center and Quicken Loans arena hastened its demise. The city simply didn't want to pay for the renovations, and for some strange reason, they didn't want the Hornets to pay for them, either.
cag1970 2 years ago
I wonder if the city knew that the NCAA was going to change the rules concerning the final four locations in the future.
The coliseum was nice that I know. I never understood why they built it where they did though. It should've been built uptown (downtown folks, stop calling it uptown, that is silly) where it belongs to begin with. Why do you want an arena on the edge of town anyway? Thats like the Knights playing out in Fort Mill. They belong in the center of town, not out in some field
jkeelsnc 2 years ago
To answer the first question - yes, they knew. In fact, the last Final Four to be played in a traditional arena was the 1996 contest at East Rutherford, New Jersey--just two years after Charlotte hosted its only Men's Final Four and the same year it hosted its only Women's Final Four.
The main reason they put the Coliseum where they did was because of money--land downtown would have been 10 times more expensive, and that was in 1980 dollars.
cag1970 2 years ago
I feel your pain, sjk0214. But as I've said before, it wasn't all the Hornets' fault. In fact, I still think it was a blessing that George Shinn didn't bring Michael Jordan on board as a partner. That, more than anything, turned the people against him.
cag1970 2 years ago
LONG LIVE THE CHARLOTTE HORNETS!!!!
adamrock133 2 years ago
Amen! I may be one of the few people who live in Charlotte who's still a Hornets fan. In fact, whenever they visit Charlotte, I root for them openly.
cag1970 2 years ago
Do you think the Carolina Hurricanes would have done better in Charlotte than they were when they were in Greensboro and right now, in Raleigh, had they used the Coliseum?
thatdudecozz89 2 years ago
Charlotte's been a good town for the Checkers, but I don't think that success would've translated to an NHL team. Besides, they had problems getting ice to lay properly at the Coliseum. That's one of the reasons the Checkers never moved there.
cag1970 2 years ago
o ok. Because I think I read somewhere about two years ago that there was an September 1991 exhibition game between the Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers supposed to be playing at the Hive, and there were ice problems that caused it to get cancelled.
thatdudecozz89 2 years ago
With the way the economy is getting, arenas like this wont last just 20 years.
sportsmania21 3 years ago
That's true...They're going to have to last at least 30 years or longer.
cag1970 3 years ago
so damn wasteful, not a thing wrong with that building. Easily could have been renovated and used for a good purpose.
KINGGEORGE1985 3 years ago 2
That's exactly what the Hornets wanted to do and were willing to pay for, but the city fathers, in their finite wisdom, didn't want to lose the everyman seating in favor of more luxury boxes. It would have been a win-win for everyone, but civic pride got in the way of good business sense.
cag1970 3 years ago
seems like that is the story of america. =/
KINGGEORGE1985 3 years ago
To be fair, though, the Coliseum was obsolete for one of the main reasons it was built--to attract the NCAA Men's Final Four. After the 1996 final at East Rutherford, New Jersey, the NCAA ruled that all men's Final Four venues must be able to seat at least 30,000 people. That means only a few select cities--Houston, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Indianapolis among them--get to play host now.
cag1970 3 years ago
Dude i just watched this for the first time. And that brought a tear to my eyes because i live all the way up in ny now and i grew up in gastonia!! And as many times as i went there as a kid its just heart breaking!!
adamrock133 2 years ago
It broke my heart, too, adamrock...The second Coliseum was a great place to watch a basketball game.
cag1970 2 years ago
what are they going to implode next the dorton arena at the fair
nikkotg13 3 years ago
I sure hope not...Dorton Arena reminds me of a smaller version of Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. They're both pretty neat looking from the outside.
cag1970 3 years ago
I saw the Grateful Dead there twice, in 1992 and again in '94. I actually moved to Charlotte a couple of years ago and got to look down into the demolished remains of the Coliseum just before they imploded it. It was a really eerie feeling, because they had already practically obliterated it, even thought the superstructure was still standing. It seems like a huge waste to me. I agree, it is really sad. But the big boys with all the big bucks make all of the decisions, I suppose.
jamfongohno 3 years ago
i had lots of great childhood memories in that place....
how sad.
themodernhuman 3 years ago 2
Just a shame.. I really hate that we build these awsome arenas for a lot of money and they only have a life span of around 10 years.. I heard that around year 9 of the Coliseum they wanted a new arena.. is that true?? I have the same feeling about my beloved Miami Arena.. yeah it didnt have much but opened in 1988 lost its team in 1999 just about 10 years :(
XFLXFLXFL 3 years ago
Yes, that's true, unfortunately...But the Coliseum was out of date soon after it was built. So, too, were Miami Arena (which has been replaced) and Amway Arena (which will soon be replaced). New arena designs in places like Cleveland and Minneapolis helped hasten the demise of the Coliseum.
cag1970 3 years ago
it was only 19 years old what a waste
Eaglezfan5 3 years ago 8
Yep, she was only 19...But unfortunately, it was very quickly becoming obsolete.
cag1970 3 years ago
@Eaglezfan5 I agree. Some people are so retarded. Maybe perhaps it's because professional sports arenas these days are located downtown. I guess having the arena outside the city is obsolite.
Fanik8 1 year ago
@Eaglezfan5
Got that right
mrbellybutton9 8 months ago
This is a shame. A perfectly good 19-year-old building.
stevis78 3 years ago
I agree...It was a great building.
cag1970 3 years ago
Seeing this video is a rather sad sight for me. The Charlotte Coliseum held many memories for me as I went to countless Hornets games with my Dad. I will always remember the sounds and sights of the ol' arena. I sure do miss it
FighterFan 3 years ago 2
Oh yeah, I feel you, FighterFan. I went to a lot of Hornets games too. And I can also remember going to a game between UNCC and West Virginia in the early 1990s. The 49ers set an attendance record with that game, with something like 13,000 people turning out.
cag1970 3 years ago
Unfortunately, Charlotte is just like every other NBA city now. A lot of people blame the Hornets for that, but it really wasn't all their fault. The City made some missteps too. Hopefully, the Bobcats will get into the playoffs within the next couple years and get some more fans behind them.
cag1970 3 years ago
I was in there once, back in 89, for a Hornets-Lakers game, the Lakers were schooling the young expansion Hornets, but you wouldn't know it from the amazing crowd reaction, 23,000 plus, cheering loudly everytime the Hornets did something positive, even though the game was out of reach, the joy of just having a major league team in their city was in the air that night, this city has some real civic pride and deserves everything great that happenning for them.
Sure wished that I lived there now
BisonAP 3 years ago
I've never been to the the Charlotte Coliseum...But, I used 2 watch Hornets games during my childhood on WFXI-8/WYDO-14 (FOX-New Bern/Morehead City/Greenville, NC) and WRDC-28 (UPN-Raleigh/Durham, NC) and let me tell you these were the good-old days of Charlotte Hornets basketball with LJ, Muggsy, Zo, Glen Rice, Eddie Jones and co...Also, I have good memories of watching ACC Tournaments and the Diet Pepsi Tournament of Champions on Raycom as well...That atmosphere back then was better than 2dayz
thatdudecozz89 3 years ago 2
Ah, somebody from Down East! Thanks for watching and writing in! Always a pleasure to hear from my bretheren on the opposite side of the state.
I made many visits to the Coliseum in its day. It was a great building, and I hated to see it go. And, telling my age now, I still remember when WRDC was NBC affiliate WPTF (and owned by Durham Life Broadcasting).
cag1970 3 years ago
Oh, ur welcome...I was about 9 years old when I moved to Raleigh in 1998...I am 19 now, about to graduate from High School and become a freshman at NC Central...But, I wish the Hornets were still here, if it wasn't for Shinn's greediness.
thatdudecozz89 3 years ago 2
It wasn't all George Shinn's fault. Long story short, the City of Charlotte is just as much to blame. Contrary to popular belief, the second Coliseum was not built specifically to house the Hornets. The NCAA changed the rules for hosting the Final Four, so that only large domed stadiums can realistically host. And the construction of Blockbuster Pavillion (now Verizon Ampitheater) took away some concert dates.
cag1970 3 years ago
Man I had no idea that this even happened. I was searching you tube to find some old wrestling matches there and I found this. Unbelievable!! I just can't believe it's gone!! I am originally from Charlotte and I have been to many wrestling matches there!! I remember back in the day seeing Ric Flair and the Rock-n-Roll Express and many others there. Man it sucks!! Many memories...I even got thrown out of that place for throwing a cup of ice on a wrestler...LOL!!! Sad to see it destroyed!!
momma949705 3 years ago
Yep, sad to say that the second Charlotte Coliseum is gone...But the original Charlotte Coliseum--what is now Cricket Arena--still stands out on Independence Boulevard. THAT was the hotbed of wrestling in this town.
cag1970 3 years ago
Damn that pisses me off seeing that. I'm from North Carolina...but being in Germany I don't get much news back home.
1ADScout 4 years ago
I remember when I was little the Scoreboard fell inside the colliseum. Many Concerts and Games in that building.. They still could have done more with it, in my opinion
djstitch 4 years ago
I agree. It was a great facility for basketball. And the scoreboard debacle ranks as one of the funniest moments in sports. I'm just happy no one got hurt.
cag1970 4 years ago
I from NY but I got relatives in NC and I know back in the day that place used to get louder than anywhere icluding Sacramento or any other arena, They had nothing on charlotte back when LJ,Mogusy and Zo where around truly sorry to see it go
verbalhigh 4 years ago
You're right, it was a loud building! It was truly a basketball palace. The Coliseum's closest extant twin is the RBC Center up in Raleigh. They were both designed by the same firm.
cag1970 4 years ago
indeed hopefully that feeling the hornets first captured can happen again in charlotte you guys were the trend setters no doubt RBC is also nice and my cousin also likes the coliseum up in Gboro which I believe is now the largest facility in the carolinas.
verbalhigh 4 years ago
I haven't been to RBC yet, although I have driven past it on a couple occasions. The knock I have on the Greensboro Coliseum is that the concourses are so narrow. Getting beyond that, it's a nice building. I think the concourses at the old-old Charlotte Coliseum (now Cricket Arena) are wider.
cag1970 4 years ago
Destroying a perfectly good venue.
JimmySand9 4 years ago
It was a great venue, and it didn't have to meet that fate. But the City forced the team's hand, when the City refused to let the team pay to renovate the building.
cag1970 4 years ago
broke my heart...i went to many a Charlotte Hornets games there and had great memories. I hate politics
altown34 4 years ago
I know exactly what you mean. The Charlotte Coliseum truly was the last of its kind. And as much as I love the Bobcats, I'm honor-bound to pull for the Hornets whenever they come to town.
cag1970 4 years ago
When was it imploded?
LHodge091985 4 years ago
Sunday morning, June 3.
cag1970 4 years ago
Oh OK. It was just recently then. Thanks.
LHodge091985 4 years ago
Best moment was in 1993 when Alonzo Mourning hit the gamewinner against the Celtics in the playoffs
TRJ22487 4 years ago
I absolutely agree. That was the greatest moment in the building's history.
cag1970 4 years ago
Bye bye Hive
2News 4 years ago
I think Bill and Gloria Gaither's New Year's Celebration was held there. I have 2 videos about it.
KidsTVFan 4 years ago
Yep, you're right, it was. So many great events were held there. It was just a shame to see the building imploded.
cag1970 4 years ago