Memphis' first racially desegregated facility: The Mid-South Coliseum

Construction of the Mid-South Coliseum began in April 1963, and when it opened in October 1964, it became the first racially desegregated facility in Memphis. While other facilities hesitated to integrate following the 1963 Watson v. United States Supreme Court case, management at the Coliseum chose not to include any signs advising segregation.

The arena became known as "The Entertainment Capitol of the Mid-South," hosting a wide array of major acts. The Rolling Stones played there in 1965, and in 1966, it served as one of the few stops on The Beatles' final American tour. Elvis Presley performed his first Memphis concert since 1961 there in 1974. Other notable performances included Michael Jackson and The Jacksons in 1981, and Judas Priest, who filmed a concert there in 1982.

The facility also served as a major hub for professional wrestling and sports. It was the home base for the United States Wrestling Association, where Jerry Lawler headlined hundreds of shows that regularly drew over 10,000 people from 1970 to 1991. For hockey, the Coliseum installed piping beneath the floor surface to provide ice for the Memphis Wings and later the Memphis RiverKings. The ice was often left intact between games, allowing residents to partake in public skating.

The Mid-South Coliseum closed in 2006. In the late 2010s, efforts emerged to help preserve and refurbish the arena as part of a larger redevelopment of the surrounding area.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons