The Oil Palace
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THE OIL PALACE HISTORY: Today, The Oil Palace is located between Dallas and Shreveport. It is currently setup to seat 6420 Patrons! It is a major venue in the East Texas area and brings some the best concerts and shows around. Thirty years ago, there was nothing comparable in the world. The Oil Palace story began back in 1955 when the late Bobby Manziel, Sr. broke ground for a huge coliseum just east of Tyler on U.S. Highway 64. His plans, ambitious even by today's standards, called for a 20,000 seat complex for sporting events, rodeos, livestock expositions, and other activities. The Oil Palace would have been the only completely year-round air-conditioned coliseum in the nation. There were plans for closed-circuit TV, grass flooring, and a translucent roof. Manziel's friend, the late Jack Dempsey, former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, was to relocate to Tyler to manage the enterprise. But Manziel was not able to see his dream fulfilled. He died one year later in 1956. Construction stopped soon thereafter leaving only a vacant shell of a giant building as a silent reminder of his dream. It was his son, Bobby Manziel, Jr. who completed his father's dream. He undertook the mammoth task of converting the empty structure into the vital East Texas complex his father had envisioned. After extensive remodeling both inside and out, the renamed Oil Palace was ready to make its debut.
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32°19′43″N 95°14′20″W / 32.3287°N 95.2388°W
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