Freeman Coliseum
Freeman Coliseum is a sports and concert venue located in San Antonio, Texas. It has been host to thousands of events including the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, concerts, trade shows, motor sports, circus, professional sports including professional bull riding, basketball, hockey, boxing and wrestling. It was the largest indoor arena in San Antonio until HemisFair Arena opened in 1968. Since then, many top recording artists have made their San Antonio concert debuts at the Coliseum.
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| Location | 3201 East Houston Street San Antonio, Texas, United States 78219 |
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| Owner | Bexar County |
| Capacity | 11,700 (concerts, boxing and wrestling) 9,800 (basketball) 9,500 (motor sports, rodeo and professional bull riding) |
| Field size | 294 feet (90 m) wide by 460 feet (140 m) long by 99 feet (30 m) tall |
| Surface | Chilled Concrete |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 17, 1947 |
| Opened | October 19, 1949 |
| Renovated | 1993 |
| Construction cost | $1.75 million |
| Architect | Bartlett Cocke, Phelps & Dewews & Simmons, Atlee B. and Robt. M. Ayres |
| Tenants | |
| San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo (PRCA) (1950–2002) San Antonio Iguanas (CHL) (1994–1997, 1998–2002) San Antonio Dragons (IHL) (1996–1998) San Antonio Stars (WNBA) (2015) San Antonio Gunslingers (IFL) (2022–present) | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Freeman Coliseum was the home of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo until the opening in 2003 of the adjacent AT&T Center, formerly known as SBC Center. Although the main rodeo event is now in AT&T Center, stock show and exhibit aspects of the rodeo are still held in the Coliseum. The 2021 Rodeo was held in the Freeman due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The WNBA's San Antonio Stars played its home games at Freeman Coliseum during the 2015 season due to renovations at AT&T Center.[1] The Coliseum was home to the San Antonio Rowels and its national team rodeo league competition, as well as two professional hockey teams: the Central Hockey League San Antonio Iguanas and later, the International Hockey League San Antonio Dragons from 1996 to 1998.
On February 26, 1983, the Freeman Coliseum hosted the rematch boxing contest between International Boxing Hall of Fame member Alexis Arguello and Vilomar Fernandez, won by Arguello by ten rounds unanimous decision.[2]
Freeman Coliseum seats 9,500 for motor sports, rodeos and professional bull riding; 9,800 for basketball and up to 11,700 for concerts, boxing and wrestling. It contains a 77-foot (23 m) ceiling height. When used for trade shows, the arena features 31,250 square feet (2,903 m2) of space, plus 129,500 square feet (12,030 m2) of exhibit space in four adjacent exhibit halls—the 60,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) Morris Center, the 36,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) Exhibit Hall #1, the 20,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) Freeman Building and the 13,500-square-foot (1,250 m2) Exhibit Hall #2.
