By: Matthew Yang

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was completed in May 1923 and turned 100 years old two months ago. Its rich history makes it a cultural centerpiece of LA.

The Coliseum was originally built as a memorial to the Angelino veterans of World War I. Later, it became a multipurpose stadium.

The Coliseum held the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984. It will become the first stadium to host the Summer Olympics three times in 2028.

The Coliseum was the home of the NFL’s LA Rams from 1946 to 1979. The Dodgers used it as a temporary home in the 1950s. Now, it is primarily the home of the USC Trojans football team.

In the last 100 years, the Coliseum has also hosted lots of non-conventional sporting events. The stadium welcomed a ski-jumping competition in the winter of 1938, when engineers used ice-making machines to create a thin coating on top of the field. The Superbowl of Motocross took place at the Coliseum in the 1970s, when the field was surrounded by a ¾-mile course.

John F. Kennedy made a memorable speech upon his acceptance of the Democratic nomination for president in 1960 at the Coliseum.

“But the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises—it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer to the American people, but what I intend to ask of them,” he said.

The Coliseum has also embraced concerts with massive, modular stages that can be easily assembled and disassembled. NASCAR engineers created an asphalt oval track in the stadium last winter. Other events such as festivals and community celebrations also take place there.

The Coliseum is an iconic symbol of the connection between past and present. The artistry and memories created there make it a treasure.

Resources:

1. The Coliseum at 100, LA Times.

2. Transformative Coliseum: Multitude of sports, war shows, concerts, racing … all fit in, LA Times.