News of the federal government’s proposed expansion of the Bridge of the Americas, which could mean demolishing the El Paso Coliseum and adjacent venues, including the ice skating rink. The county is currently exploring options to redirect the expansion, however construction is currently still scheduled to begin in 2027, with the renovations being completed by 2031.
The El Paso Coliseum history actually begins in 1942. Originally called the Livestock Exposition Building, it was built to support a rodeo and livestock show🐎🐄but later expanded to hold other events such as concerts, circus, ice hockey, roller derby, and many other shows! It has seen a variety of performers, some notable ones being the Jackson 5 (picture 3) Elvis, Ricky Martin, Ariana Grande, Green Day, and many more.🎶
It was was also used to temporarily house Italian prisoners of war in the second World War(picture 2), process Mexican workers in the bracero program, and briefly house the Texas State Guard.
Picture 1- El Paso Coliseum,1972
Picture 4- What we now know as the Rhino’s hockey rink was originally built as a horse arena, so a lot of renovations had to be done for it to be stable as a full-year functioning ice rink!⛸️❄️
Pic 5- Courtesy of the El Paso Rhinos. 🏒In 2020 the Rhinos won the Hockeyville USA contest, getting $150,000 for stadium renovations, all which would be lost if the building were to be demolished.
