Several Detroit businessmen organized the Detroit Hockey Club, Inc. in 1926 and purchased the
Victoria Cougars hockey team, along with a site at the corner of Grand River Avenue and McGraw Street. The group engaged Detroit-based Walbridge Aldinger as general contractor to build the arena. In July 1926, the Detroit Hockey Club unveiled drawings for the Olympia Stadium to be built on the site. The cornerstone for the building was laid by Mayor
John W. Smith on March 8, 1927. The Olympia opened on October 15, 1927; at that time, the only other buildings that exceeded its seating capacity were
Madison Square Garden and the
London Olympia. Shortly thereafter, the primary tenants of the building, the NHL Cougars, began their long residence. The Cougars played their first game at the Olympia on November 22, 1927, and Detroit's
Johnny Sheppard scored the first goal at the new building. However, the visiting
Ottawa Senators defeated the Cougars, 2–1. The Cougars later became the Falcons and finally, in 1932, were named the Detroit Red Wings by new owner
James E. Norris. On some occasions, the Detroit Falcons also allowed the
Detroit Gems from the rival
National Basketball League to play in the arena as well as a part of certain doubleheader match-ups that the Falcons and the BAA hosted during the only season both of those franchises existed. It also hosted the
NHL All-Star Game in
1950,
1952,
1954, and
1955, the
NBA All-Star Game in
1959 and the
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship (known as the "Frozen Four") in
1977 and
1979. The Olympia was also a major venue for
boxing through the
International Boxing Club, featuring such prominent fights as
Jake LaMotta's February 1943 defeat of
Sugar Ray Robinson, and Robinson's victory in their rematch three weeks later. Olympia also hosted
professional wrestling matches, as well as other events such as the 1931
American Legion Convention which was addressed by President
Herbert Hoover, and regular visits by the
Harlem Globetrotters,
Ice Capades, Shipstads and Johnson
Ice Follies. It hosted concerts by
The Beatles on September 6, 1964, and August 13, 1966, as well as concerts by other popular performers and bands, including
Kiss,
Led Zeppelin and
Elvis Presley. By the late 1970s, the neighborhood surrounding the Olympia had been in decline since the
1967 riots. In 1977, the Red Wings announced that they would be moving to a proposed arena in suburban
Pontiac. The city of Detroit countered with a proposed riverfront arena for much less rent that Pontiac was seeking. The package included operational control of both the new arena, nearby
Cobo Arena and the adjoining parking structures. The Red Wings accepted Detroit's offer. On December 15, 1979, three days after the first event held at
Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings played their final home game at the Olympia, a 4–4 tie against the
Quebec Nordiques. Attendance at that game was 15,609. They moved to Joe Louis Arena on December 27. The final event at the building took place on February 21, 1980. The original OLYMPIA letters that adorned the sides of the building were placed into storage at Joe Louis Arena, then installed in Little Caesars Arena in 2017, which became the new home for the Red Wings. ==Architecture==