marker at the El Paso County Coliseum. game on March 8 2019. The El Paso County Coliseum was originally built to host
rodeo events in the city of
El Paso. The original plan for the building, which was backed by
El Paso County, and could be supported by a
Public Works Administration (PWA) grant, estimated that it would cost $100,000. The final cost for the building was $321,000. The building's
architect was Percy McGhee. At first it was called the "El Paso County Live Stock & Agricultural Exhibition Building," or referred to as the "Livestock Exposition Building." It is located in South El Paso, near Washington Park. When it was dedicated, it was the largest coliseum between
Los Angeles,
Fort Worth and
Denver. Behind the main coliseum, which was equipped with an
air-cooling system, are several
livestock buildings. The dedication barbecue dinner cost $1 per person.
Karl O. Wyler served as master of ceremonies. The prisoners were expected to pick
cotton. Concerned El Pasoans donated games and instruments to the prisoners for recreational purposes. The Italian prisoners remained in the Coliseum until around March 1944. The
Texas State Guard used the Coliseum as temporary headquarters in 1946. The Coliseum was again used to house people in 1951, this time temporarily sheltering
braceros. In 1944, El Paso City Council proposed additional civic programs for the Coliseum as the building had not been making a profit. Plans to open up the Coliseum to sporting events such as
boxing and
wrestling was proposed in 1945. New speakers were installed for free by the
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in 1946.
Ike & Tina Turner performed at the Coliseum on July 2, 1966. On November 10, 1972,
Elvis Presley performed at the coliseum to a sold-out crowd of 9,000. The
Grateful Dead made their only ever El Paso appearance on November, 23, 1973. On May 15, 1975,
Fleetwood Mac began their first American tour with newly hired members
Stevie Nicks and
Lindsey Buckingham at the Coliseum, a 128-date tour that stretched well into the following year, in support of their soon-to-be-released self-titled album. On, October 19, 1973,
The Jacksons performed at the coliseum as part of The Jackson 5 World Tour which stretched from March 2, 1973 to December 1975, and performed on July 22, 1977. On June 4, 1980, a concert by
Alice Cooper was recorded by
ABC Radio as part of their
SuperGroups In Concert series
Iron Maiden performed here in 1982, 1986, 1987 and their final show at the coliseum was in 1999 during the Ed Hunter Tour. Around 1996, the Coliseum began to experience roofing issues due to wind damage. In 2000, discussions about creating a new coliseum were ongoing. In 2001, renovations on the Coliseum began which included adding more restrooms, access for
people with disabilities and a meeting room. Urban Associates began additional renovations in January 2003 that was projected to cost $6.7 million and include new heating and cooling, improved seating, new
concession stands, new roofing and more. In September 2003, supervision of the Coliseum was given to El Paso Sports Commission Inc., for a five-year contract. In 2020, El Paso was the winner of
Kraft Hockeyville USA, winning $150,000 in rink upgrades and $10,000 worth of new equipment. On March 14, 2025, the Coliseum hosted
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's
Sacrifice event which was streamed live on
TNA+. The following night, 2 episodes of TNA Impact were taped. == Disputed capacity ==