tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5148048131502110089.post1946318635389775515..comments2024-02-08T03:37:01.136-06:00Comments on Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout: The Summer of ’68 Chicago Style—Tuesday—Out of Lincoln Park at LastPatrick Murfinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05191688376908660270noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5148048131502110089.post-26985841425225264682012-09-16T20:50:23.104-05:002012-09-16T20:50:23.104-05:00Great stuff, great recollections. A few clarifyin...Great stuff, great recollections. A few clarifying details about the Chicago Coliseum though ... the building opened in 1900 and was dedicated by Pres. McKinley. William Jennings Bryan did not speak at the Coliseum at 15th and Wabash, he spoke in 1896 at the older version of the Coliseum at 63rd and Stony Island, which burned in 1897, thereby causing the need for a new arena. Also the stone castle-like facade was not part of the original Libby Prison. The former Civil War museum on the site (which opened in the early 1890's in time for the Columbian Exposition) was built from timbers from the old Libby Prison. The stone facade was actually mined from a quarry in Indiana and suburban Lemont and was shipped by train cars to (near) the site. Source of info on this was Fred Morelli Jr. whose father was one of the Coliseum's owners along with Leo Seltzer. The Coliseum's last event was a James Taylor and Carole King concert in March 1971, just a few days after the famous Ali-Frazier fight which was closed circuit broadcast into the Coliseum. On that night 3/8/71 the closed circuit broadcast went out in Round 3 and they couldn't get it going again. The patrons rioted inside the Coliseum and basically trashed it. The next day the building got hit with multiple fire code violations. The final event was allowed to take place (the Taylor-King concert) a few days later as a compromise between the city and the Coliseum's owners. The Coliseum then stood basically vacant until April 1982 when it was demolished.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15235556420985613534noreply@blogger.com