MUSIC - He can't love you by the Michael Stanley band

Richfield Coliseum - demolished site has been turned back into woodlands Gund Arena - still standing Cleveland Arena - demolished site is now an office buliding

Richfield coliseum was built in the burbs, literally in the middle of nowhere. It was near the confluence of the Ohio Turnpike and Interstates 77 and 271. The coliseum was constructed about 20 miles south of Cleveland in the small rural township of Richfield Ohio. If you want to try and find it, the address was 2923 Streetsboro Road. Harsh winter snows, as well as a two lane road in and out of the Coliseum made travel to games awful. When it opened in 1974, it was state of the art, but quickly became antiquated. The luxury boxes were far away from the court / ice. The main tenant was the Cleveland Cavs of the NBA. After playing their first five years in the dank Cleveland arena, the move to the coliseum was well received. The Cavs became a good draw with an exciting brand of basketball. Unfortunately, they could never make the NBA finals.

The other 3 major tenants were the Cleveland Crusaders of the old WHA. The Crusaders played in the coliseum from 1974 thru the 1976 season. Like the Cavs, the Crusaders played their first two seasons in the old arena in downtown Cleveland. After the 1976 season, the NHL relocated the California Golden Seals from Oakland to Cleveland. Meanwhile the Crusaiders picked up and moved to Minnesota to become the second incarnation of the WHA Fighting Saints. The newly transplanted Seals changed their name to the Cleveland Barons, and lasted three seasons. After the 1979 season, the financially troubled Barons merged with another team in money trouble, the Minnesota North Stars. The Barons players moved to the upper Midwest and thus major league hockey ended in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Force of the MISL had the second longest tenure in the arena. They lasted from 1978 thru 1992, when the MISL folded. Hockey returned to the arena for two years in the form of the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL. The Lumberjacks played at the Coliseum from 1992 till the building closed in 1994. The Jacks moved with the Cavs to the new downtown Gund arena and lasted until the IHL folded after the 2001 season.

The final event in the old building (it wasn't OLD at all) was a Bon Jovi concert. In 1981 the NBA held its all star game in Richfield. Most major concert acts played here also. Alas, it was too far from downtown Cleveland to be a viable arena. After the Bon Jovi concert, the building was sealed up, although I did get in before it was sealed! Richfield Coliseum lay abandoned for 5 years before it was torn down. The site was left to return to woodland as part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. No marker is anywhere to be found to let people know what was once here.

After playing for 20 years in the boonies of Richfield, the Cavs moved uptown to the brand new Gund arena in 1994. Located in the Gateway section of Cleveland, the Gund was built literally in back of left field of Jacobs Field. The arena was named for Gordon Gund, the former owner of the Cavs. The arena has all the things a team could want. Plus it was close to nightlife after the games. The flats are just to the west of the arena. Alice Cooper has his Cooperstown restaurant 2 blocks to the east of the arena on E 9th Street.

Last but not least was the first major arena in Cleveland. Cleveland arena was located at 3717 Euclid Avenue, and seated about 11,000 people. Cleveland arena was built and privately financed by local businessman Albert C. Sutphin during the height of the Great Depression in 1937. The major tenant was his AHL hockey team, the original Cleveland Barons. In 1970, the NBA expansion Cleveland Cavaliers called the arena home for 5 years. Also, as mentioned above, the WHA Cleveland Crusaders played at the arena.

The arena was the site of what was considered the first ever rock and roll concert. The Moondog Coronation Ball was held on March 21, 1952, and was organized by legendary DJ Alan Freed along with WJW radio. It was a disaster as the concert was shut down by the fire authorities due to overcrowding after the first song. The fire department estimated that 20,000 individuals were either in the arena or trying to enter it, when the capacity was roughly half that.

When it opened in 1937, the arena was a palace, but when it closed in 1974 it had become dilapidated and hardly had any parking. The neighborhood was also in decline. Cleveland arena stood for 3 more years, closed and unused. Finally in 1977, the arena was finally torn down. Like Richfield coliseum, no marker is present to let people know what once stood at 3717 Euclid Avenue.