Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Does Richmond need a new downtown 15,000-seat arena?

My piece on the building of a new downtown multipurpose arena, "Who's got the $147 Million?", is at Richmond.com.
OK, the old Coliseum is clunky and drafty, but as long as the roof doesn’t leak, what’s so wrong with it? It seems to work pretty well for the Colonial Athletic Association’s annual postseason basketball tournament. So, in what way has it become inadequate?

“It’s a decaying, outmoded facility that is no longer competitive,” said Chapman. “We’re losing a lot of events to the John Paul Jones Arena [in Charlottesville].”
Click here to read the entire article.

4 comments:

Unknown said...
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Anonymous said...

Schools Before Stadiums!

J. Tyler Ballance said...

It would be OK if they bulldozed that ugly piece of crap and just planted some trees on the site.

However, should Richmond continue to be allowed to slip into decline, following all of the other Negro-run cities?

If on the other hand, the citizens united behind the construction of a new facility that would be both a new arena and a landmark of national stature, that could be recognized from the major interstates that pass through the City, then perhaps such a project could help steer Richmond back on the road to a more positive future.

Stuart said...

Arenas are the shrines of latter-day cargo cults. The believers place the talismanic structure within sight of the Great Interstate Silk Road in hopes of attracting goods and knowledge which is alien to their culture.