New York Coliseum
- see also Bronx Coliseum
The New York Coliseum was a convention center that stood on Columbus Circle in New York City from 1956 to 2000. It was designed by architects Leon and Lionel Levy[1] in a modified international style, and included both a low building with exhibition space and a 26-story office block.
History
The Coliseum was built from 1954 to 1956 by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority under city planner Robert Moses, who, in rescuing a project that had long languished, condemned the area from West 58th to West 60th Streets on the west side of Columbus Circle.[1] During construction in 1955, an accident occurred in which around 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of exhibition space collapsed, injuring 50 workers and killing one.[2]
The Coliseum, which replaced the Circle Building[3] and smaller tenement and retail buildings,[1] opened on April 28, 1956, with three exhibitions: the New York International Auto Show,[4] the National Photographic Show, and the Fifth International Philatelic Exhibition.[1] A U.S. postage stamp commemorates the show and the building. Through 1986, the Coliseum hosted 1,246 events.[1]
The 323,000-square-foot (30,000 m2) Coliseum contained four exhibition floors, including a 150-foot (46 m)-square, three-story well for exhibiting such large items as sailboats and airplanes.[1]
The complex was demolished in 2000 to make way for the Time Warner Center, originally dubbed the AOL Time Warner Center.
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f Gray, Christopher (1987-04-26). "The Coliseum; The 'Hybrid Pseudo-Modern' on Columbus Circle". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ^ New York Coliseum engineering case study. Accessed Nov. 20, 2009
- ^ NYC-Architecture.com: The New York Coliseum
- ^ Edmunds Inside Line: New York Auto Show
Coordinates: 40°46′07″N 73°58′59″W / 40.768735°N 73.982938°W
