On January 2, 1944, Richmond residents woke up to learn that the Coliseum had burned to the ground overnight. On the evening of January 1 it was full of teenagers at a skating party, but thankfully it was unoccupied when the fire started at approximately 1:00 am. All five fire companies were called out, but the blaze was so fast moving that only 20 minutes after firefighters arrived, the roof caved in.
The loss of the Coliseum was quite a blow to the city. As the largest venue in town, it hosted a huge variety of events, not just sports. Political meetings, graduations, concerts, church revivals, lectures, and a Palladium-sponsored cooking school all took place within its walls. In 1922, pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff performed. Humorist Will Rogers entertained the city in 1926. Noted author and broadcaster, Lowell Thomas, appeared in 1934. Possibly most interesting is that world famous contralto, Marian Anderson, appeared here in 1939, only a few weeks after her famous concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
As a sports venue, the Coliseum was home to boxing (Jack Dempsey refereed a boxing exhibition in 1934), wrestling, bicycling, and basketball on every level, from professional games to church and industrial leagues. However, the original reason the Coliseum was built was to host roller polo.
In July 1902, the Richmond Athletic Association was formed for the purpose of erecting a skating rink. Roller polo was a sport that was very popular in the Midwest from the 1880s through the 1920s, and was sort of hockey on roller skates. As a skate manufacturer, Micajah Henley, was a major promoter of the sport, and one of the leaders of the Richmond Athletic Assn. The company purchased land on the west side of the first block of North Seventh Street. This is now roughly the southeast corner of Elstro Plaza.
Local architect Stephen O. Yates designed the structure that was opened to the public in November 1902. The grand opening featured two polo games, plus a parade and concert by the city band. Fortunately, the Richmond team defeated the Indianapolis team, setting the stage for its life as a hub for Richmond’s social life.