40 ideas for Mid-South Coliseum
Never mind five quick thoughts today. Instead, I offer 35 thoughts and suggestions, all from readers, about what should become of the Mid-South Coliseum:
1. Greg Childers: “Multi-purpose structure like the Sears Crosstown building.”
2. Jj Hupf: “It would be a great addition to U of M for agricultural teachings. Not that much modification required.”
3. Brad Forgy: “Sell it to the highest bidder.”
4. Wade Patridge: “I think it’s dead now that Wiseacre passed on it.”
5. Ashleigh Sowell: "Indoor farmers market.”
6. Wanda Bostick Little: “Flea market.”
7. Carol Tidwell: “Cage matches between zoo parking staff and greensward supporters?”
8. Eric Gottleib: “If we can make it between zoo management and greensward supporters instead, I’m all in. People would definitely pay to watch.”
9. Lee Mettler: “Indoor paintball facility.”
10. Cullen Morgan: “Doesn’t Cabela’s need a flagship store in the area to compete with Bass Pro?”
11. Todd Conklin: “Bass Pro bought Cabela’s. One and the same now.”
12. Danny Mansberg: “Sell to Hollywood for demolition in action thriller.”
13. Laura Coleman Noeth: “Shelter for the homeless.”
14. Dan Spector: “Every city needs a second venue and this is ours. Huge free parking. It should be busy every night with wrestling, concerts, graduations, rodeo, dances, ice skating."
15. Jason Bendall: “Casino.”
16. Tanner Whitten: “Since the Tigers are only drawing 8,000 a game at FedExForum, just remodel the Coliseum and have the Tigers go back to their roots!”
17. John Stacy: “They could turn it into something that facilitates football tailgating including a small Kroger and other vendors for those who forget things. You could add a `Tiger football experience’ with a Hall of Fame type feel.”
18. Richard Speros: “Let’s turn it into some giant outdoor recreational activity retail store.”
19. Mike Brewer: “Use it for what it was intended for: Make Memphis an independent wrestling hotbed again. Put a museum/ Hall of Fame detailing the history of Memphis wrestling somewhere in the concourse. Start booking shows.”
20. Stephen Thompson: “Indoor youth sports facility. Basketball, soccer, football, golf, all free for the participants.”
21. Mark Jones: “Memphis has plenty of outdoor concert facilities, such as The Shell, Mud Island and Botanic Gardens. What Memphis needs is a space indoors that can seat in a laid back way a music venue for 5000-7000 people for November-April. I can see free concerts inside the Coliseum during the winter that complement the Levitt Shell during the summer. I can also see High School Game of the Week during the winter season.”
22. Lisa Moore: “TOP QUALITY AQUATIC CENTER. With indoor and outdoor Olympic size pools.”
23. Jon McKinney: “Raze it. Use the space for a water park!”
24. Eric Gottlieb: “Use it for an aquarium for the Memphis Zoo & Aquarium, comparable to the ones in Chattanooga and Atlanta. There's plenty of parking & they could run regular shuttles back & forth. The zoo's existing aquarium is small and out of date; it could be torn down to make way for other exhibits or to expand existing ones.”
25. Craig Bowie: “Boom outta here! It’s a death trap. Yankee Stadium is no more. Boston Garden is no more. Time to move on. Jerry Lawler and Larry Finch ain't walking thru that door.”
26. Donnie Mars: “Paint it blue, make it Memphis basketball’s home again. GO TIGERS!”
27. Stacy Elster Vogel: “Why not house the homeless there? At least give them a place indoors to sleep in the extreme temperatures.”
28. Anthony Siracusa: “Transit hub and job training facility.”
29. TJ Herring: “Make it a permanent music/ show facility for 5,0008,000.”
30. Ron Goforth: “Landers Center North?”
31. Byron Fisher: “WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame. Put a Top Golf next to it.”
32. Maureen Spain: “We need to bulldoze all that unused parking and put a soccer complex over there. The Coliseum could be used as a multipurpose sports arena.”
33. Barry Franklin: “Blow it up!”
34. Verlinda Henning: “Memphis Sports Hall of Fame. Add in a local restaurant/brewpub/entertainment venue for smallish shows. Use surrounding area for public recreation space/picnicking.”
35. Frank Talarico: “Get rid of it. Grass is always good.”
36. Beverley Hayden Dunn: “Do the necessary ADA seating and return it to Memphis Tiger basketspace.” ball, men AND women.”
37. Roy Barnes: “Return it to its original design as a public gathering 38. Warner Russell: “Put mixed use on Fairgrounds. Top Golf, finally a Target for Midtowners, fast casual and casual restaurants, retailers, etc. An entertainment area that will draw people from all over the city. If someone can't find a way to fit the Coliseum and a new use for it into the plans, then it should probably be torn down.”
39. Frank McLallen Sr.: “Demolish it, build ball fields (soccer, football, baseball, softball, ...), a good area to have festivals, markets, a nice walking path, a great inner city park. I enjoyed many great events at the Coliseum, but its time has come and gone..”
40. Linda Ann Morgan: “Small concert venue, high school basketball games, graduation, flea market, whatever the Agricenter is used for, this could be the same for Midtown!”