José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum

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José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
Choliseo
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
Front view of the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
Full name Coliseum of Puerto Rico - José Miguel Agrelot
Location 500 Arterial B St., Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Opened September 2004
Owner Puerto Rico Convention District Authority
Operator SMG
Construction cost $292 Million
Architect Sierra Cardona Ferrer & HOK Architects
Project Manager QB Construction
Capacity Can be configured four ways:
  • Minimum 3,500
  • Maximum 18,500
Tenants
Santurce Crabbers, BSN: Puerto Rico Tip-Off

The José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, officially named "Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot" (and nicknamed El Choliseo, in honor of Agrelot's best known character, Don Cholito), is the biggest indoor arena in Puerto Rico dedicated to entertainment. It is located at the Golden Mile of San Juan, the island capital.

The coliseum opened its doors to the public in September 2004 after a prolonged construction financed by the government of Puerto Rico. This venue is owned by the Puerto Rico Convention District Authority, a government agency of Puerto Rico, and managed by SMG. It can accommodate up to 18,500 spectators and can be reached by the Tren Urbano (Urban Train) system from a nearby station.

The arena hosted the first World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view outside of the USA, Canada and the UK when New Years Revolution was held there in 2005.

As of November 2009, the arena has received over 3 million spectators, hosting more than 516 events with a gross ticket revenue of over $128 million.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Original plans

Aerial view of the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum before completion.

The Coliseum was a project started during the administration of Governor Pedro Rosselló, initially as part of an Olympic bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games. The facility was supposed to be constructed between two local sport venues: the Roberto Clemente Coliseum and Hiram Bithorn Baseball Stadium, about a mile and a half away from the current arena site. The Coliseum would have been used for events such as Gymnastics and Olympic Basketball had the games been held in San Juan.

[edit] Controversy

In 1997, however, Athens was selected to host the games, and the construction of the Coliseum was jeopardized. Recognizing the need for such a facility anyway, the government decided to continue the construction, this time at a site physically close to San Juan's financial district, the "Milla de Oro" ("Golden Mile"). Since the new site was adjacent to a future Tren Urbano station, the Coliseum's planners decided not to incorporate parking facilities to the arena, as to induce visitors to use mass transportation to reach it.

Political opponents of the Rosselló administration raised various objections to the original plan, claiming that the lot of land purchased for the construction would benefit some of his political party's (the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico) heaviest financial contributors. They also objected to the lack of parking space, claiming that nearby private parking operators (who were also money donors to Rosselló's party, they claimed) would extort high parking fees from people who could not or would not use public transportation to the venue (at the time, the Tren Urbano was in its initial stages of construction; by the time the facility opened it was still under construction). Objectors would also point out that a private operator would take control of the facility under contract from the government of Puerto Rico under what was perceived as a highly expensive contract. The Rosselló administration countered by stating that previous experience with public sports facilities in Puerto Rico (which would quickly fall into disrepair at an accelerated rate requiring constant remodelling) demanded that a private entity manage the facility. The contract's expense would be justified by bringing in an operating partner with international experience managing world-class facilities, whose reputation would ensure that performers and sport events that had never been staged in Puerto Rico could visit the island.

The Coliseum's construction was stopped for close to two years during the administration of governor Sila María Calderón, the leader of the opposition party (the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico) whose administration followed Rosselló's. She claimed that the Puerto Rican government had spent $242 million dollars for a facility where only 42% of its scheduled project plan had been completed when she took office. The planners and constructors had overlooked the fact that a water pumping station next to the facility had been built over unstable land, and a portion of the building's foundations would have had to be redone because of this. There was even talk of demolishing what had been built and starting from scratch, which infuriated Rosselló supporters, who dismissed the suggestion as merely an excuse to spend more government money, this time to benefit the PDP's financial backers. Plans for a redesigned interior added during the Calderón administration added fuel to the intense public controversy.

Yet another controversy came about when the ticketing distributor was named. An exclusive contract was awarded to Banco Popular's Ticketpop, almost ignoring the bid by competitor TicketCenter. The situation almost went to trial, as both parties argued over who should sell the tickets for the events, but the Puerto Rican government stood by their original contract with Ticketpop. Local producer Angelo Medina spearheaded a group that wanted the legislature to curb the managing powers of SMG, recently named to oversee operations and activities, because they feared that the company's relationship with non-local T.V. companies would limit the participation of local talent in the arena.

The coliseum was finally inaugurated in September 2004, several years into its construction and millions of dollars over budget.

[edit] Dedication

Night view of the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. Photo taken from the nearby Tren Urbano Station.

The naming of the structure caused a controversy by itself. During the construction phase, plans called for the coliseum to be named simply El Coliseo de Puerto Rico (The Coliseum of Puerto Rico), but when it was also suggested that a private entity could sponsor the facility and thereby lend its name to it, most local politicians objected to the idea, since the financial scandal involving Enron reminded them that the bankrupt company had sponsored a sports facility (Enron Field, later named the Minute Maid Park) in Houston, Texas, United States.

Some politicians argued on behalf of naming the coliseum after a Puerto Rican celebrity. Some of the names mentioned were that of pop star Ricky Martin, boxer Félix Trinidad and recently deceased actor Raúl Juliá. Puerto Rican law demanded that no facility could be named after a living individual, and there were talks of making an exception to the law should a living Puerto Rican icon be honored with the name.

However, the name of beloved local comedian José Miguel Agrelot was chosen when the coliseum was near its completion. Agrelot himself had suggested the name of Rafael Hernández Marín to be used, and when someone suggested his name instead he was both surprised and concerned. He was quoted as saying once in his radio program, "Tu Alegre Despertar": "I can only hope my name won't be used, since I'd like God to keep me alive for quite some time. .. it would be a great honor, and I wouldn't object to it if that is what people want, but public facilities here are customarily named after dead people. .. I won't even dare to think about it. I'd only like the controversy over the name to stop".

Soon after, Agrelot died in his sleep while taking an afternoon nap, on January 28, 2004. The almost unanimous consensus of most Puerto Ricans was that Agrelot deserved the honor, and the facility was dedicated to him on what would have been his birthday that year. A bust of "Don Cholito" now stands at the coliseum's lobby.

[edit] Awards and recognitions

Pollstar, the prestigious U.S. based magazine, chose the Puerto Rico Coliseum as the "International Large Venue of the Year 2005". This means it is recognized as one of the most important venues in the world, competing with the Sydney Superdome in Australia; the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England; The National Auditorium in Mexico City, and the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

“The Choliseo, as Puerto Ricans affectionately call, was another of those pleasant surprises last year,” continued Rivera Cardona. “It received Pollstar’s coveted 2005 Best New International Large Venue of the Year and it is nominated again for the Best International Venue of the Year in 2006.” The Puerto Rico Coliseum ranks No. 15 in ticket sales worldwide according to industry trade magazine Pollstar.

The Puerto Rico Coliseum has developed into the premier entertainment site of the Island. Since its inauguration in September 2004 over 3 million people have crossed its gates bringing in $128 million in gross ticket revenue and hosting more than 516 events.

[edit] Events

Events, in order of date, will be added as soon as they are announced or have passed.

[edit] 2004

  • September - Grand Inauguration of Coliseo de Puerto Rico, José Miguel Agrelot
  • September 13, 2004 - Van Halen: Van Halen Summer Tour 2004
  • November 24, 2004 - Mix Concert-Thon 04
  • December 15, 2004 - Korn

[edit] 2005

  • February 11, 2005 - ToTo & Saga
  • February 14, 2005 - Mötley Crüe: Red, White & Crüe Tour 2005...Better Live Than Dead
  • February 25, 2005 - Chicago & America Classic Rock Fest
  • February 26, 2005 - Juanes: Mi Sangre Tour
  • April 4, 2005 - Usher: Live on Showtime!
  • September 14, 2005 - Journey: Journey Tour 2005
  • October 29, 2005 - La Noche de Estrellas de Fidelity

[edit] 2006

  • April 22, 2006 - World Championship Ice Racing
  • April 27, 2006 - Sting: Broken Tour
  • August 26, 2006 - Arena Football Championship
  • September 15, 2006 – Generación Y: Oriental Fantasy
  • September 16, 2006 - And 1 Mixtape Tour 2006
  • September 23, 2006 – NHL Exhibition Game
  • October 21, 2006 – Menudo World Talent Search
  • October 28, 2006 - La Noche de Estrellas de Fidelity
  • November 17, 2006 – Lolita & Rosario
  • November 22, 2006 – Lunny Tunes: The Benjamins
  • December 1, 2006 – Don Omar: King of Kings

[edit] 2007

  • January 19, 2007 – Boxeo de Campeones
  • March 8, 2007 – WWE Road to Wrestlemania
  • March 24, 2007 – Akon
  • April 20, 2007 - Steel Monster Trucks Tour
  • July 28, 2007 - Summer Pop
  • October 26, 2007 - La Noche de Estrellas de Fidelity
  • November 11, 2007 - WWE Survivor Series Tour
  • November 21, 2007 - Zion: The Perfect Melody
  • December 8, 2007 - Íntimo con Sistema 102

[edit] 2008

  • January 27, 2008 - Stars on Ice
  • April 25, 2008 - Juan: Gracias
  • April 26, 2008 - Aniversario de Nueva Vida
  • May 17, 2008 - Freestyle Motocross
  • May 26, 2008 - Espectacular Ser
  • June 7, 2008 - Camila: Todo Cambió
  • July 19, 2008 - WWE Anniversary
  • August 30, 2008 - Reggaetón Nights
  • September 27, 2008 - KQ Live Concert
  • October 4, 2008, 2008 - The First Step Boxing Match
  • October 18, 2008 - WWE Raw: Survivor Series Tour
  • October 24, 2008 - La Noche de Estrellas de Fidelity
  • October 31, 2008 - Drawing Contest: Los Artistas del Caño
  • November 26, 2008 - 10 Años the Show
  • November 4-7, 10, 2008 - Aventura: KOB: Kings of Bachata Tour

[edit] 2009

  • February 13-15, 2009 - Luis Fonsi: Palabras del Silencio Tour
  • March 5, 2009 - Santana: Live Your Light Tour
  • March 28, 2009 - FMX Pysco Tour: Motorcross
  • March 29, 2009 - Abraham
  • April 29, 2009 - Raphael: 50 Años
  • May 2, 2009 - Calle 13: Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo
  • May 28, 2009 - Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy
  • August 21-22, 2009 - Ruben Blades y Seis del Solar: Todos Vuelven
  • September 4, 2009 - WWE ECW/Smackdown
  • September 26, 2009 - Top Combat: Mix Martial Arts
  • October 3, 2009 - Daniel Calveti
  • October 23, 2009 - La Noche de Estrellas de Fidelity
  • November 7, 2009 - Kenny G: Rhythm & Romance World Tour
  • November 25, 2009 - Fidelity Gospel: Paz Para Mi Isla

[edit] Upcoming Events

  • December 19, 2009-January 11, 2010 - Funtartica Ice Skating Rink
  • January 20, 2010 - Marcos Yaroide and Nancy Amancio
  • January 29, 2010 - Luis Fonsi: Grand Closing of Palabras del Silencio Tour
  • February 12, 2010 - Ruben Blades y Seis del Solar: Todos Vuelven (Otra Vez a Puerto Rico)
  • February 21, 2010 - Marcos Witt and Samuel Hernández
  • March 12, 2010 - Draco: Vagabundo Por El Mundo World Tour

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 18°25′39.78″N 66°3′41.01″W / 18.4277167°N 66.0613917°W / 18.4277167; -66.0613917

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Miguel_Agrelot_Coliseum"
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