Charlotte Coliseum opened on August 11, 1988, as a $52 million, state-of-the-art home for the expansion Charlotte Hornets, and for a stretch it was the largest arena in the country built primarily for NBA basketball. Fans packed in by the tens of thousands, turning the arena nicknamed “The Hive” into one of the league’s loudest and most reliable sellouts through the late 1980s and 1990s.
The Hornets’ popularity there became legendary: Charlotte Coliseum hosted 371 consecutive NBA sellouts between December 1988 and November 1997, a streak that included playoff games and helped the Hornets lead the league in attendance for years. The building also hosted the 1991 NBA All-Star Game and NCAA Final Four tournaments before newer, more modern arenas made it obsolete, leading to its closure in 2005 and demolition in 2007.
- Charlotte Hornets played here 1988–2002 and 2004–2005. See every Hornets arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Charlotte Hornets (NBA), Charlotte Sting (WNBA)
- Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
- Opened: August 11, 1988
- Closed/Demolished: Closed October 26, 2005; demolished June 3, 2007
- Capacity: About 23,400 for basketball (up to roughly 24,000 for concerts)
- Construction Cost: About $52 million
- Notable Fact: 371 consecutive NBA sellouts, December 1988 to November 1997
A Record-Setting Home for the Hornets
When it opened in 1988, Charlotte Coliseum was built to seat around 23,400 fans for basketball, making it the largest arena serving as a full-time NBA home at the time. The expansion Hornets quickly became a civic phenomenon, and the building’s sellout streak of 371 straight games became one of the defining attendance records in NBA history.
Beyond the Hornets, the arena hosted the Charlotte 49ers college basketball team, the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting, and Arena Football League tenants, while also staging the 1991 NBA All-Star Game and NCAA Final Four tournaments in both the men’s and women’s brackets.
Decline and Demolition
Despite its early success, Charlotte Coliseum lacked the luxury suites and modern amenities that newer arenas offered, contributing to the Hornets’ relocation to New Orleans in 2002. The building closed in October 2005 after the opening of the new uptown arena, now known as Spectrum Center.
On June 3, 2007, crews brought the coliseum down in a controlled implosion using roughly 550 pounds of explosives, closing out a venue that had defined Charlotte’s sports identity for nearly two decades.
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Team-color face paint in a twist-up stick — no brushes, no mess in the car.
Charlotte Coliseum FAQs
When did Charlotte Coliseum open and close?
It opened on August 11, 1988, closed on October 26, 2005, and was demolished via implosion on June 3, 2007.
What was Charlotte Coliseum’s seating capacity?
It seated about 23,400 for basketball, making it one of the largest arenas built primarily for NBA play at the time, with capacity reaching roughly 24,000 for some concert configurations.
Why was Charlotte Coliseum demolished?
It had become outdated compared to newer arenas with modern amenities, and after the Hornets left for New Orleans and a new uptown arena opened in 2005, the Coliseum was closed and later imploded in 2007.
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Photo: Miller17CU94 at English Wikipedia / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.