🏛 Historic Stadium
Cleveland Arena stood at 3717 Euclid Avenue for four decades as one of the Midwest’s most versatile indoor venues. Built in 1937 by sports promoter Albert C. Sutphin for a reported $1.5 million, the arena opened on November 10, 1937 with the Ice Follies of 1938 before hosting its first hockey game a week later. It was home to the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League for more than three decades, and the team used the building to win nine regular-season titles and eight Calder Cup playoff championships.
Over the years Cleveland Arena expanded well beyond hockey, hosting as many as 330 events annually by the 1940s — from boxing and basketball to rodeos, six-day bicycle races, indoor midget auto racing, and roller derbies. When the Richfield Coliseum opened in 1974, the Arena lost its major tenants and fell quiet. It was demolished in early 1977, and the site now houses the American Red Cross Cleveland Chapter headquarters.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: 3717 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio
- Opened: November 10, 1937
- Closed: May 19, 1974
- Demolished: 1977
- Capacity (Basketball): 11,000
- Capacity (Hockey): 9,900
- Construction Cost: $1.5 million (≈$34 million today)
- Teams: Cleveland Barons (AHL), Cleveland Rebels (BAA), Cincinnati Royals (NBA), Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA), Cleveland Crusaders (WHA)
A Home for Six Professional Teams
Over its 37-year run, Cleveland Arena served as the primary indoor sports facility for six professional franchises across four different leagues. The Cleveland Barons anchored the building from opening night in 1937 through 1973, building one of the most decorated records in AHL history. In the late 1940s the Cleveland Rebels played a single BAA season there, and between 1966 and 1970 the Cincinnati Royals used the Arena as a partial home while in the NBA. When the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1970, they called the Arena home until the Richfield Coliseum opened in 1974. The Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association shared the building with the Cavaliers during those final years.
The venue’s flexible seating arrangement allowed capacity to stretch beyond 12,500 for boxing events when floor seats were added — a flexibility that kept the building commercially viable across a remarkable range of entertainment formats for nearly four decades.
The Night Rock and Roll Was Born
On March 21, 1952, Cleveland DJ Alan Freed staged the Moondog Coronation Ball at Cleveland Arena, an event widely regarded as the first major rock and roll concert in American history. The show sold out and then some — counterfeit tickets flooded the market and a crowd estimated at twice the building’s capacity descended on Euclid Avenue. The fire department shut the concert down after only one act performed, but the cultural shockwave was permanent.
The chaotic evening proved that a new genre had arrived with a force no single venue could contain. Freed would go on to popularize the term ‘rock and roll’ nationally, and the Moondog Coronation Ball became a foundational moment in music history — one that happened inside a hockey arena built during the Great Depression.
Explore more: Explore more historic stadiums.
Cleveland Arena FAQs
When was Cleveland Arena demolished?
Cleveland Arena was demolished in early 1977, roughly three years after its last major tenant — the Cleveland Cavaliers — departed for the new Richfield Coliseum in 1974. The site at 3717 Euclid Avenue is now occupied by the American Red Cross Cleveland Chapter headquarters.
What was the Moondog Coronation Ball?
The Moondog Coronation Ball was a concert organized by Cleveland DJ Alan Freed on March 21, 1952, held at Cleveland Arena. It is widely considered the first major rock and roll concert in history. Demand far exceeded the arena’s capacity, and the fire department shut the event down after only one act played due to dangerous overcrowding.
What professional sports teams played at Cleveland Arena?
Six professional franchises used Cleveland Arena over its history: the Cleveland Barons (AHL, 1937–1973), the Cleveland White Horses (NBL, 1939), the Cleveland Rebels (BAA, 1946–47), the Cincinnati Royals (NBA, 1966–1970), the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA, 1970–1974), and the Cleveland Crusaders (WHA, 1972–1974).
Get More from Cleveland Arena
log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Cleveland Arena, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo by James Mirakian on Pexels.