🏛 Historic Stadium
Richfield Coliseum opened on October 26, 1974, with a Frank Sinatra concert, marking the debut of one of the most strategically positioned arenas in American sports history. Developed by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Nick Mileti at a cost of $36 million and designed by George E. Ross Architects, the 20,273-seat structure sat in Richfield Township, Ohio — deliberately placed between Cleveland and Akron on Interstate 77, within an hour’s drive of nearly five million people.
For two decades the Coliseum served as home to the Cleveland Cavaliers and a revolving roster of professional franchises, including the NHL’s Cleveland Barons, the WHA’s Cleveland Crusaders, and the MISL’s Cleveland Force. It hosted the 1981 NBA All-Star Game and legendary bouts such as Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner in 1975. When the Cavaliers departed for downtown Cleveland’s Gund Arena ahead of the 1994–95 season, the building stood vacant until the National Park Service purchased and demolished it in 1999, converting the site into meadowland now part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Richfield Township, Ohio (between Cleveland and Akron)
- Opened: October 26, 1974
- Closed: September 24, 1994
- Demolished: March 30 – May 21, 1999
- Basketball Capacity: 20,273
- Hockey Capacity: 18,544
- Construction Cost: $36 million (approx. $261 million in 2025 dollars)
- Primary Tenant: Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA, 1974–1994)
- Notable Event: 1981 NBA All-Star Game
A Hub for Cleveland and Akron Sports
Nick Mileti chose Richfield Township precisely because it split the difference between Ohio’s two largest metro areas, a gamble that paid off in attendance figures throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. The arena rotated through a remarkable number of professional tenants: the WHA’s Cleveland Crusaders played there in its early years, the NHL’s Cleveland Barons called it home from 1976 to 1978, and indoor soccer’s Cleveland Force and Cleveland Crunch drew crowds through the 1980s and early 1990s. The IHL’s Cleveland Lumberjacks and AFL’s Cleveland Thunderbolts rounded out a tenant list that few arenas of any era could match.
Beyond team sports, the Coliseum earned a reputation as a premier concert and event venue. Its first event was a Sinatra performance, and its final official event — a Roger Daltrey concert in September 1994 — closed the building on a fittingly rock-and-roll note. WWE staged multiple Survivor Series pay-per-view events there in 1987, 1988, and 1992, cementing its status as a versatile venue for mass entertainment.
Demolition and Transformation
After the Cavaliers moved downtown, the Coliseum sat empty for five years — too remote for a new anchor tenant and too expensive to repurpose. The National Park Service acquired the property and carried out demolition between March 30 and May 21, 1999. What had been a 36-million-dollar arena was cleared to create open meadow habitat, and the site was absorbed into Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Today the land supports Eastern meadowlarks, bobolinks, and other grassland wildlife — a complete reversal of its former identity as one of the loudest buildings in Ohio.
The Coliseum’s story is often recalled as a cautionary tale about suburban arena placement, but it also stands as a testament to the outsized ambitions of 1970s sports entrepreneurs. Mileti’s bold mid-point location was ridiculed as ‘Mileti’s Folly’ by some critics, yet the building thrived for nearly two decades before its metropolitan anchor departed. Its legacy lives on in the memories of Cleveland Cavaliers fans who came of age watching basketball in a meadow-turned-arena-turned-meadow.
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Richfield Coliseum FAQs
When did Richfield Coliseum open and close?
Richfield Coliseum opened on October 26, 1974, with a Frank Sinatra concert and held its last official event — a Roger Daltrey concert — on September 24, 1994, after the Cleveland Cavaliers announced their move to downtown Cleveland.
What teams played at Richfield Coliseum?
The primary tenant was the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA). Other teams included the Cleveland Crusaders (WHA), Cleveland Barons (NHL), Cleveland Force and Cleveland Crunch (MISL indoor soccer), Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL), and Cleveland Thunderbolts (AFL).
What happened to Richfield Coliseum after it closed?
After sitting vacant for five years, the National Park Service purchased the building and demolished it between March and May 1999. The site was converted to meadow habitat and is now part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.
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Photo: Frank John Aleksandrowicz / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.