The Trail Blazers’ vision for JumpTown will preserve and enhance the Memorial Coliseum while adapting it for future use. The renovated Coliseum will serve as an anchor for the mixed-use sports and entertainment district.

Our adaptive reuse principles for the Memorial Coliseum include:

• Respect the Memorial Coliseum’s architectural integrity and expressiveness
• Preserve the majority of the interior bowl, but reduce seating capacity to create a more intimate experience for existing tenants such as the Winter Hawks and other new users
• Better utilize the building’s unparalleled city views
• Design and operate to showcase Portland’s sustainable values

Here’s a brief look at the Coliseum’s recent history by the numbers:

• The Memorial Coliseum hosted more than 150 major events in fiscal year 2008/2009, with hundreds of additional smaller events throughout the year.
• Total Memorial Coliseum attendance was 430,000.
• The Memorial Coliseum has operated at a loss for the last eight of ten years.

Finally, here’s a summary of the operational agreement history and taxpayer benefits:

• In 1993, the Trail Blazers invested more than $230 million in private funds to build the Rose Garden at a time when many teams were fleeing to the suburbs.
• As part of that agreement, the team received management rights to the Memorial Coliseum.

• The city of Portland receives six percent of every ticket sold at the Rose Garden and Memorial Coliseum, as well as all revenue from city-owned parking garages.
• In fact, the surplus after bond repayment helps cover operating deficits and capital improvements at PGE Park, Portland’s other major spectator facility.

What do you think? Send your thoughts and comments.