Friday, August 5, 2011

Coliseum renovations forthcoming?

As the Indiana State Fair begins, the Indiana Ice's home rink is getting some attention from the Indiana State Fair board.

The fair board is considering a recently-completed study to renovate the Pepsi Coliseum, according to this story from Inside Indiana Business. Fair director Cindy Hoye discusses it in this video. She says the Coliseum has an $89 million economic impact, and that it "needs to be renovated." The State Fair has begun a foundation to find donations to help pay for improvements to the fairgrounds facilities.

Built in 1939, the Pepsi Coliseum has been home to the Indiana Ice since their inception in 2004, and has hosted hockey teams consecutively since 1998, when the IHL Indianapolis Ice returned to the building. It has hosted the Indianapolis Capitals (1939-52), Chiefs (1955-62), Capitols (1963), Checkers (1979-85) and Indianapolis Ice (1988-94, 1998-2004) in addition to the USHL Indiana Ice since 2004. All eight of Indianapolis' hockey championship teams have called the Coliseum home. It also has been home to the ABA's Indiana Pacers from 1967-74, and was their home court when they won all three of their championships.

The Coliseum is the largest-capacity indoor building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds complex, located at the corner of 38th Street and Fall Creek Boulevard.

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