The Sports Arena, never a beloved fixture on the Los Angeles sporting scene, could be torn down to make way for a multuse outdoor space/amphitheater or a new 22,000-seat soccer stadium, as the lack of a main tenant for the economically obsolete facility is coming home to roost.
We’re talking about an old (it opened in 1959) and unloved (except, perhaps, by Billy Crystal) facility that’s clearly economically obsolete: it has required an annual operating subsidy between $750,000 and $900,000 each of the last five fiscal years. It has no major tenant and relies on concerts and special events for revenue. Today the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission will debate whether to tear it down at a scheduled afternoon meeting.
Tearing down the arena would cost millions but would clear the way for a more flexible outdoor space that could also be used for pregame activities at the nearby Los Angeles Coliseum.
The Sports Arena served as the home of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) from 1960 through 1967, the Los Angeles Kings (NHL) in 1967, the Los Angeles Stars (ABA) in 1968-1970, the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) from 1985 through 1999. It opened as the home of the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins; the Trojans left in 2006 and the Bruins in 1964.
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