Kansas Coliseum

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Kansas Coliseum
"The Big Brown Barn"
BrittBrownArenaInside.jpg
Location Valley Center, Kansas USA
Coordinates 37°50′10″N 97°19′16″W / 37.83609°N 97.321205°W / 37.83609; -97.321205Coordinates: 37°50′10″N 97°19′16″W / 37.83609°N 97.321205°W / 37.83609; -97.321205
Owner Sedgwick County
Operator SMG
Capacity 12,200 Max: 9,686 (Ice Hockey)
Field size 36,500 sq.ft. (146’ x 250’)
Surface Ice
Construction
Opened 1977
Renovated 2006
Closed 2010
Construction cost $10.3 Million
Architect Thomas, Harris, Ash and Mason
General contractor Dondlinger & Sons Construction Co. INC
Tenants
Wichita Wings (MISL/NPSL) (1979–1981)
Wichita Wind (CHL) (1980–1983)
Wichita Thunder (CHL) (1992–2010)
Wichita Stealth (AF2) (2001–2004)
Wichita State Shockers (NCAA) (2002–2003)
Wichita Aviators (APFL) (2005)
Wichita Wild (UIF) (2007–2008)
Website
www.kansascoliseum.com

Kansas Coliseum was an entertainment complex in the Wichita, Kansas suburb of Valley Center. It hosted sporting events, concerts and shows.

It consisted of four pavilions, one RV park and the 9,686-seat Britt Brown Arena, named for Harry Britton (Britt) Brown Jr., of Wichita, the former owner of The Wichita Eagle newspaper. Arena capacity can be configured for up to 12,200 people.[1][2]

It was opened in 1977. Two brass plaques (one located on the lower level, by the box office windows and the other up on the main concourse) read:

"Dedicated September 1978, for the promotion of agricultural educational and cultural benefits, in behalf of the people of the world, by the citizens of Sedgwick County, the board of the county commissioners, the Kansas state park and resources authority, the economic development administration and the ozark regional commission of the United States Department of Commerce and the Kansas Coliseum Corporation."

It hosted NCAA Men's Basketball tournament first and second round games in 1981 and 1994. The Wichita State University basketball teams played the 2002-03 season there while the Shockers' on-campus home, Charles Koch Arena, was undergoing major renovations.

It was the home of the now-defunct Wichita Wings indoor soccer team, who played in the MISL and NPSL between 1979 and 2001. The Kansas Coliseum was the home venue for the Wichita Stealth, Wichita Aviators, and Wichita Wild indoor/arena football teams between 2001-2008. It also was home to the Wichita Thunder ice hockey team that played in the Coliseum from 1992 to 2009. The Wichita Thunder now plays in the INTRUST Bank Arena in downtown Wichita, Kansas.

The last Wichita Thunder hockey game ever played at the Kansas Coliseum was on January 9, 2010 in front of a home crowd of 5,556. The Thunder lost the game 3-1 to the Odessa Jackalopes. Brent Ottmann would be the last Thunder player to score a goal in the building at 2:05 of the 1st period, and Kenny Bernard of Odessa scoring the last goal ever at 19:53 of the 3rd period.

The final event to take place inside the Arena was the RV and Boat show on February 20, 2010. As of February 22, 2010, The Britt Brown Arena closed its doors. The neighboring Kansas Pavilions will remain open until at least 2016, but the arena will no longer host events. Power will remain to the building, but water has been shut off and the pipes drained.

On January 10, 2012 the entire Coliseum complex was sold by Sedgwick County to aviation research developer Johnny Stevens for a sum of $1,462,487.12. The Britt Brown Arena will be transformed into an aerospace testing facility, and surrounding Pavilions and RV park will continue to be operated until January 1, 2016 and possibly beyond should the events be profitable. The complex is now privately owned and all Sedgwick County signing has been removed. The complex will now operate as Kansas Coliseum LLC.

Events[edit]

Concerts[edit]

Wrestling[edit]

  • WWF Live Event - July 26, 1987, October 1, 1988, January 26, May 21 and August 19, 1989, June 22 and September 2, 1990, June 20 and September 2, 1991, November 5, 1992, March 24, 1993, October 19, 1997 and August 24, 2001
  • WWF Superstars of Wrestling/Prime Time Wrestling - February 16, 1988 (TV Taping)
  • WWF Wrestling Challenge/Survivor Series Showdown - November 1, 1989 (TV Taping)
  • WCW Live Event - May 9, 1998, October 1, 1999 and February 6 and August 21, 2000
  • WCW Monday Nitro - November 16, 1998 (TV Taping) and August 21, 2000 (TV Taping)
  • WCW Thunder - May 13, 1999 (TV Taping)
  • WWF Smackdown - November 27, 2001 (TV Taping), August 10, 2003 and September 28, 2004 (TV Taping)
  • WWE Raw Live Event - October 26, 2002 and April 25, 2004
  • WWE Smackdown/ECW (TV Taping) - October 3, 2006 and November 13, 2007

Other events[edit]

  • Monster Jam Thunder Nationals - January 13–15, 2006 and January 9–11, 2009

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]