The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena is slowly being demolished, a report by The Los Angeles Times says. A 22,000-seat stadium that will house a Major League Soccer franchise is opening in its place.
The 57-year-old building is known for housing the first Democratic National Convention in 1960 and was the first home of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. It also housed the Clippers for 15 years and served as the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of Southern California (USC) basketball teams.
The arena opened July 4, 1959 and cost $6 million to build. The original purpose of the location was to host athletic events, trade shows, conventions and circuses, but it also held boxing, wrestling and tennis matches, as well as rodeos, ice skating performances and home exhibitions, according to the report.
Other historical events that took place in the arena include Cassius Clay’s (now known as Muhammed Ali) prediction of knocking out Archie Moore in the fourth round, Jim Beatty’s four-minute indoor mile and the last show of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” tour, the report says.
The last few events at the location include a three-night concert stint by Bruce Springsteen and a Bernie Sanders rally that gathered nearly 30,000 people to the arena, according to the report.
No more results found. The 57-year-old building is known for housing the first Democratic National Convention in 1960 and was the first home of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. It also housed the Clippers for 15 years and served as the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of Southern California (USC) basketball teams.
The arena opened July 4, 1959 and cost $6 million to build. The original purpose of the location was to host athletic events, trade shows, conventions and circuses, but it also held boxing, wrestling and tennis matches, as well as rodeos, ice skating performances and home exhibitions, according to the report.
Other historical events that took place in the arena include Cassius Clay’s (now known as Muhammed Ali) prediction of knocking out Archie Moore in the fourth round, Jim Beatty’s four-minute indoor mile and the last show of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” tour, the report says.
The last few events at the location include a three-night concert stint by Bruce Springsteen and a Bernie Sanders rally that gathered nearly 30,000 people to the arena, according to the report.