Greensboro Complex
Multi-venue complex hosting sports, concerts, and conventions since 1959.
NASA/USGS · via Wikipedia: Greensboro Complex · Public domain
The Greensboro Complex, formerly known as the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, is an entertainment and sports complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. Opened in 1959, it comprises eight venues including an arena, amphitheater, aquatic center, convention center, and theatre. It is home to multiple professional and collegiate sports teams and has hosted numerous major sporting events, including the NCAA Final Four and ACC basketball tournaments.
Quick Facts
- Address
- 1921 West Gate City Boulevard
- Location
- Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
- Groundbreaking
- January 1958
- Opened
- October 29, 1959
- Renovated
- 1994, 2005, 2013, 2016
- Expanded
- 1972, 1993, 2003, 2011
- Owner
- City of Greensboro
- Operator
- Oak View Group
- Cost
- US$4.5 million (1959) / ($ in US dollarsUS) / $63 million / (1993 Expansion)
- Architect
- FABRAP
- Former Names
- Greensboro Coliseum Complex (1959–2024)
- Capacity
- 35,000+
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Coliseum was part-time home of the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association from 1969 to 1974. Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown began his coaching career with the Cougars in 1972. The complex expanded seating to 15,000 in 1972 and added an exhibition center in 1978. A major expansion in 1993 raised capacity to 23,000 (later reduced to around 20,000). The venue reopened on December 28, 1993, for the 'Reunion Classic' basketball game, but faced controversy due to incomplete construction and lack of permits, leading to the firing of the manager and contractors. Additional expansions in 2003, 2005, and 2011 added the Novant Health Fieldhouse, Odeon Theatre, White Oak Amphitheatre, Greensboro Aquatic Center, and ACC Hall of Champions. War Memorial Auditorium closed in September 2014. Oak View Group became operator on July 1, 2024, and in October 2024 the coliseum was renamed First Horizon Coliseum under a 10-year naming rights deal.
Reader's Guide
The Greensboro Complex holds significance as a long-standing hub for sports, entertainment, and community events in the southeastern United States. It has hosted the ACC men's basketball tournament 23 times since 1967 and the women's tournament 12 times since 2000, making it a key venue for college basketball. The complex also hosted the NCAA Division I men's basketball Final Four in 1974 and East Regionals in 1976, 1979, and 1998. Beyond basketball, it has been home to professional hockey teams including the Greensboro Generals, Greensboro Monarchs, and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. The complex has hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 2011, 2015, and 2020, and the Central Carolina Fair since 1999. Its eight venues allow it to accommodate a wide range of events, from concerts (including Elvis Presley and Phish, which set the concert attendance record of 23,642 in 2003) to conventions and aquatic competitions. The complex has been visited by nearly 57 million people and hosts over 800 events per year.
Did You Know?
- The complex was first proposed in 1944 as a war memorial for World War I and World War II veterans.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Coliseum on April 14, 1972, footage from which was used in his final film 'Elvis on Tour'.
- The Coliseum set a concert attendance record of 23,642 for a Phish concert on March 1, 2003.
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