Portland approves coliseum name change
- ️Nathalie Weinstein
- ️Wed Jan 05 2011
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Portland City Council today voted to change the name of Memorial Coliseum to Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
As part of the Rose Quarter Development project, the city formed a subcommittee of veterans to give input on how the sports facility can better honor veterans in the future. One of its recommendations was changing the coliseum’s name to better reflect its history as a memorial to those who died fighting for the U.S., according to Mayor Sam Adams.
“The issue was raised that the original agreement the city had with veterans was for free access to the facility,” Adams said. “The request to add the word ‘veteran’ before Memorial Coliseum is to make it clear to everyone it will remain that way.”
The coliseum will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Saturday. The coliseum was dedicated on Jan. 8, 1961 by Mayor Terry Schrunk to the “advancement of cultural opportunities for the community and to the memory of our veterans of all wars who made the supreme sacrifice.”