There is a group which is working to save the Mid South Coliseum from the wrecking ball and have it reused in some way similar to how the Pyramid was converted to a Bass Pro Shop. While the actual purpose for reuse is not decided there are a few suggestions which are getting strong support. The most common idea is to convert it to a Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. Lawler has agreed to donate a portion of his own private collection to the HOF.

The group is planning to hold a concert on the grounds of the MSC either in late March or early April to help draw attention to their movement and to raise funds to save the MSC. They are looking for people who would like to help with this concert. Either with man power or with the loaning of generators to the concert. If anyone is interested in helping with the project please click on the link below and contact Mike Mcarthy.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/79570854...up_comment
_________________

Monday Night Wrestling

Memphis State basketball

Many rock concerts

Memphis Pros

Memphis Tams

Memphis Sounds

Memphis Rogues Indoor Soccer

Memphis Americans Indoor Soccer

smdh...tear the ugly thing down once and for all...

One night I was invited to the horse races with little robots as jockeys. I won $500. That was fun.

(02-07-2015 10:15 PM)k2tigers Wrote:  Monday Night Wrestling

Memphis State basketball

Many rock concerts

Memphis Pros

Memphis Tams

Memphis Sounds

Memphis Rogues Indoor Soccer

Memphis Americans Indoor Soccer

Many High School Graduations

FYP

My older sister Stormy (RIP) graduated from there in 1980, I graduated from there in 1986 from Central High School myself.
I'm one of those in the camp for saving it....but I admit to being biased.
I used to work as the shift mgr at the Pizza Hut there in the Coliseum.
We;d make over 10,000 personal pan pizzas for the Riverking games when they were being held there....and about 5000 for Monday Night Wrestling.
Eventually everyone working with me quit...so I drafted my roommate to help me make the pizzas....otherwise I'd have been in some deep do do

lunch time press conference from the Save The Coliseum group in the north side parking lot of MSC tomorrow.

I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government are just hard to understand.

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yes, and I received an oral birthday present from a young lady on the top row during a hockey game one night. I think I'd still rather see some additional police presence around town when I visit there. Silly me.

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

(02-12-2015 11:41 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

The fiscal numbers are such that it is cheaper to refurbish the MSC than tear it down and put in the 5000 seat complex they are wanting to build. Will cost $3 million right off the bat just to tear it down.

Building CBU student marketed apartments fronting Central (like they are doing along Highland and Southern now) makes sense. Taking the Coliseum down and building a new purpose built multi-court athletic building on the footprint makes sense. 400,000 sq ft of retail makes zero sense - especially since the very ownership of the fairgrounds property would be put at risk by the venture. Leave the commercial space for Overton Square and Highland Row. Leave the resturants to Cooper-Young.

this is just crazy talk - "FREE MONEY BECAUSE ITS COMING FROM THE STATE!"

The city offered the building to Lawler for $1 a year. $60,000 monthly utility bills are hard to pay.

(02-12-2015 11:55 AM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:41 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

The fiscal numbers are such that it is cheaper to refurbish the MSC than tear it down and put in the 5000 seat complex they are wanting to build. Will cost $3 million right off the bat just to tear it down.

Even if true, you still have ongoing maintenance costs. If it was such a no-brainer, there would be no opposition. The refurbishing talk seems mostly to come from the nostalgic crowd. That doesn't sound like a very good reason to proceed.The Coliseum wouldn't be in such bad shape if there had been a market for a venue of that type (size and location specifically). What has changed?

They should make the Coliseum a small concert/conference venue. They have a few in the DFW area that draws the shows that don't need the 20,000 seat arena configuration.

Conferences, conventions, I know there is a clause with FedEx Forum, but they can't be booked every day of the year to the exclusion of anything else that could be brought to Memphis.

(02-12-2015 11:55 AM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:41 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

The fiscal numbers are such that it is cheaper to refurbish the MSC than tear it down and put in the 5000 seat complex they are wanting to build. Will cost $3 million right off the bat just to tear it down.

Where did these refurbishing numbers come from? If I remember correctly the required ADA upgrades alone would cost more than tearing it down. Let alone any reconfiguration for a different use.

(02-12-2015 11:55 AM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:41 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

The fiscal numbers are such that it is cheaper to refurbish the MSC than tear it down and put in the 5000 seat complex they are wanting to build. Will cost $3 million right off the bat just to tear it down.

This is categorically false on the math, and any proposed new building would have a much broader set of uses than a refurbished Coliseum. I can admire the sentimental argument, but the fiscal argument is just plain wrong.

(02-13-2015 11:35 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:55 AM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:41 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

The fiscal numbers are such that it is cheaper to refurbish the MSC than tear it down and put in the 5000 seat complex they are wanting to build. Will cost $3 million right off the bat just to tear it down.

Where did these refurbishing numbers come from? If I remember correctly the required ADA upgrades alone would cost more than tearing it down. Let alone any reconfiguration for a different use.

What were the ADA numbers thrown around for the libertybowl for years and what was the actual numbers. The ADA numbers have been greatly over estimated by those who wish to tear it down. You are looking at most 150 seats. A couple ramps an elevator and modification of half the restrooms and concession stands.

(02-12-2015 01:03 PM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:55 AM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:41 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

The fiscal numbers are such that it is cheaper to refurbish the MSC than tear it down and put in the 5000 seat complex they are wanting to build. Will cost $3 million right off the bat just to tear it down.

Even if true, you still have ongoing maintenance costs. If it was such a no-brainer, there would be no opposition. The refurbishing talk seems mostly to come from the nostalgic crowd. That doesn't sound like a very good reason to proceed.The Coliseum wouldn't be in such bad shape if there had been a market for a venue of that type (size and location specifically). What has changed?

What happened to the facility first was a cold hearted Beotch named Beth Wade. She drove all the tenants away years before the Griz even knew Memphis existed. Then a mayor who sold our soul for a NBA team. As for why there is opposition. First if you read most of the polls you will find that there is very little real opposition and the little there is comes from people who are in line to make a buck by tearing it down.

(02-13-2015 12:01 PM)George CantStandYa Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:55 AM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 11:41 AM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 08:54 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(02-12-2015 05:10 AM)oldmangrizz Wrote:  I submit that there are any number of financial issues that the City of Memphis should address before committing money to restore the Coliseum. I don't even understand how an intelligent individual could support such a cause. The collective priorities of the decision makers in Memphis city government just hard to understand.

Stop making sense..... don't you know the Beatles played there once? .

Yeah and so did Elvis. I agree with oldmangrizz on this one. We have many much more urgent needs than trying to force a use on the building it wasn't designed to accommodate. You really want a rasslin' hall of fame, fine. You'll be better off to tear the MSC down and build from scratch. But please don't use public money to do it.

The fiscal numbers are such that it is cheaper to refurbish the MSC than tear it down and put in the 5000 seat complex they are wanting to build. Will cost $3 million right off the bat just to tear it down.

This is categorically false on the math, and any proposed new building would have a much broader set of uses than a refurbished Coliseum. I can admire the sentimental argument, but the fiscal argument is just plain wrong.

The cost to tear it down and build the 5.000 seat multipurpose arena is estimated at around $33 million. Far more than it will cost to refurbish the MSC. You sound like KK who said it would cost $6 million to replace the lighting because the old lights are not make anymore. Well duh i expect the new arena will also need lighting so that money would be spend anyway.