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Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum


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But if there's no room for a track in a remodelled stadium, they'd need a new Olympic Stadium, which makes absolutely no sense at all.

Actually, the new L.A. Galaxy stadium was built to accomodate a running track as well.  Perhaps LA's 2016 plan will utilize that stadium for athletics and the Coliseum for soccer and the ceremonies -

Just guessing.

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But if there's no room for a track in a remodelled stadium, they'd need a new Olympic Stadium, which makes absolutely no sense at all.

Actually, the new L.A. Galaxy stadium was built to accomodate a running track as well.  Perhaps LA's 2016 plan will utilize that stadium for athletics and the Coliseum for soccer and the ceremonies -

Just guessing.

What does the Galaxy stadium hold?  Ya know the IAAF will demand 80,000.  If it requires 75,000 for its odd-year T&F World C's, I don't think it wants any less for the Olympics.

Stadium AustraTelstra opened up to 114,000+ for Closing because they removed the waterfall section and filled those in with seats.

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  • 3 weeks later...
You seem quite self-contradictory, ejay.  You'd rather not have an NFL team, nor another Olympics.  But you seem to be hep on seeing an upgraded Coliseum?   :suspect:  Doesn't compute.

Like I've already said, if, IF, L.A. gets an NFL team and the Coliseum is chosen as its home stadium, then sure, I'd like to see the Coliseum redone.  But if L.A. doesn't get an NFL team, then fine, leave the Coliseum alone.  It's already listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  And USC football seems to like it just fine.

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Ejay - when the peristyle cracked and the cauldron fell off after Northridge, was that a patch job or did they seismically retrofit the whole thing?

The Coliseum and Rose Bowl can be retrofitted to 21st century standards.  When I bought my house (built in '27) it came with an estimate as to what it would take to seismically retrofit it ($10k!  :shocked: )  So I assume the same can be done for major stadia?  But there is still the liability issue . . .

The more I look at the roofs in the model, they appeared cantilevered, ala Golden Gate Bridge, etc.  So probably built to withstand a major trembler?

I remember the peristyle cracking, but I don't remember the cauldron falling off, after the Northridge Earthquake.  But from what I remember reading somehwere, after that quake, the Coliseum did get a seismic strengthening afterwards, it wasn't just a patch-up job.

According to the latest reports I've been reading about the Coliseum, if it were to become the home stadium for an NFL team, the Coliseum would not be "redone," but actually, a brand new stadium structure would be built within the outer walls of the Coliseum, so it technically would be a new stadium, when you think about it.  I wonder if that would strip it of its historic landmark status... I believe that's what happened to Soldier Field in Chicago, please correct me if I'm wrong.  Also, from what I've been reading, it's been generally acknowledged by many that the "new" Soldier Field is terribly ugly, with many people saying it now looks like a huge space ship crash landed on the walls of Soldier Field and got stuck there.  

Also from the latest of what I've been reading on the Coliseum, the proposed pylons that would support a roof structure (which might be made of fabric) are now not part of the redesign; after what happened to Soldier Field, the architects redoing the Coliseum want something less radical or intrusive.

The Coliseum currently seats about 92,000.  After it's redone, it would seat about 68,000 for NFL games, with the capability to be expanded to about 80,000 for Super Bowls or major USC football games... and for a future Olympics.  I read that a track could be accommodated in its new design.

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Wow, thanks for sharing those pix!  That looks awesome and the placement of the scoreboards is such a huge improvement over the ugly ones that are currently right next to the cauldron.  I see they are planning to put the rings back on the tower inside as well.   :cool:

The only thing I don't like is it looks like they are going to take out the stairway that leads from the field to the peristyle.  I hope that part they reconsider.

Yes, Chicago totally f!*%ed up Soldier Field with their renovation IMHO.  So much so that they lost their National Historic Designation this past month.  It literally looks like a flying saucer just fell into it.  Inside it is great - great views of Chicago, sitelines, etc.  But outside it doesn't match the integrity of the colonades  or anything.  

I'm glad to see L.A. is trying to avoid the Chicago mistakes and retain the charachter of probably the most important stadium in the U.S.  :unclesam:

Found this picture of the peristyle after Northridge.  It looks like the cauldron fell and just the gas lines remain but that may be just because of the angle of the shot:

19_400.jpg

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According to the latest reports I've been reading about the Coliseum, if it were to become the home stadium for an NFL team, the Coliseum would not be "redone," but actually, a brand new stadium structure would be built within the outer walls of the Coliseum, so it technically would be a new stadium, when you think about it.  I wonder if that would strip it of its historic landmark status...

I think it's only the peristyle section that is accorded Historic Landmark status.  I mean that is the part that distinguishes the LA Coliseum from others.  The rest of the stadium, who cares?  A bowl is a bowl is a bowl.  And I see from the new perspectives, they plan to bring in the 'sides' more closely to the infield.  So, yes, if it proceeds, that means tearing all the rest, except the peristyle part, down, and building steeper and closer from there -- to bring in the sides more.  Which would also mean escalators and elevators, etc., which are not in the present set-up.

Also, the new perspectives make much more sense with the 'roofing' compared to that other one.  The first one just did not seem earthquake-worthy to me; and I think further studies proved the same -- which is why the totally new look.  It will be easier to get affordable liability insurance with the new look.

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