Greensboro – Hall of Chumps?

The Troublemaker has a story about the Greensboro Coliseum’s efforts to convert the old Coke (and later Canada Dry) bottling building into the “ACC Hall of Champions”. However, days earlier, the News & Record did a story about a private investor wanting to do the same downtown.

What’s the rush with the Coliseum?

With a valid private sector effort to put some serious cash on the table, the Coliseum fears losing the so called tourist attraction. GIVE ME A BREAK. This is not a “Hall of Fame”, it’s not a serious tourist destination, like the Civil Rights Museum. It’s just an empty building that its owners wanted to turn into a hotel/shopping complex; but then realized it was in the industrial blighted area that we call the coliseum.

I once worked for the largest privately held broadcast group in the US, after seeing all the basketball hype in TV from his home on the West Coast, the owner thought it might be a good idea to locate the television station he owns in Greensboro to the coliseum area. Based on what he saw on television, it must be the best area in Greensboro. Needless to say, when we took him to the coliseum, he didn’t even get out of his car.

The Coliseum wants MORE of our tax money to bring a few people to the coliseum area. Why throw more money down the drain on Lee Street, when there appears to be a generous private investor more than willing to spend his money to do the same?

7 thoughts on “Greensboro – Hall of Chumps?

  1. Whatever the merits of Lee St vs downtown, your post overplays the current status of a privately-funded downtown project.

    You say “there appears to be a generous private investor more than willing to spend his money” and mention “a private investor wanting to do the same downtown.” That may turn out to be the case, and it would be great if it does, with or without the HoF component, but at this point it’s merely a rumored deal of a project under consideration.

    In any case, the Canada Dry property needs to be redeveloped. If a Coliseum/City deal is the best way to go, so be it.

    Your dislike for the Coliseum does not change the fact of its existence, or the City’s ongoing ownership of it; maybe you could come up with some positive suggestions rather than just blah-blah-blahing all the time about how terrible it is.

  2. Ed, I strongly believe that someone will eventually step up and save the coliseum, I just don’t believe that public funds are the answer. Matt “The Smartest Man in Greensboro” Brown will eventually come up with the answer, if we can ween him off the public tit.

    FYI, the coliseum is still a 1959 structure with siding. At a recent Revolution game, I saw non-working sinks on the main concourse and water stained ceiling tiles. Stuff that would never have been seen at an ACC event; but is allowed by Parking Lot-Paying Citizens. Parking $6 – Tickets $5 – where the sense in that?

  3. The first item listed on the agenda for the Greensboro City Council Briefing, Tuesday, May 8 is a presentation regarding acquisition of the former Canada Dry site.

    No mention of who will give the presentation. Stay tuned.

  4. I’m with you Don. Let’s use all the coliseum’s profits to finance this endeavor…..oh…nevermind.

  5. We have to have this ACC Museum. We can’t let Charlotte get it. Charlotte already has the NASCAR Museum. The Hall of Fame or whatever should be built at Grandover near the ACC offices. Grandover is where the money is and you can get to it off of the highway. If the public is going to have to pay to get into the ACC Museum it needs to be out at Grandover because that’s where the money is.

    Downtown Greensboro is becomig one big Party Place with all the bars, clubs, concerts and other public showcases. Downtown Greensboro already has two Museums and soon to be three with the Children’s, the Historical, and the Civil Rights. AA should build a Museum or Rehab Center downtown they would get rich because there’s plenty of traffic coming their way.

    High Point Road is for all the kids who are too young to drink downtown so they cruise up and down HP Road looking to buy drugs.

    Put the Museum at Grandover and the citizens that have the money will go there and we do need it if nothing else to keep it from Charlotte, those dogs will probably try to steal it. I won’t pay to get in the place because I have all my ACC Knowledge locked in upstairs but for those who want and will pay to see it I say build it at Grandover. Long live the ACC in Greensboro but put the Museum at Grandover and why not start talking about putting a 16,000 seat Coliseum at Grandover and hold the ACC Tournaments out there too. Charge $250.00 a game to get in and we can really start talking about increasing our tax dollars. Charge $250.00 a head to get into the ACC Museum and you are talking a new Jail for Sheriff Barnes. Take some tax dollars off the top of those tickets and gate receipts at the ACC Museum and BJ Barnes can open up that Barnes and Coble bookstore he and Howard have always wanted.

    The Golf tournament is heading to Grandover one day so let’s put all the money attractions out there. It can be like the Biltmore House up in Asheville, it looks great, but I’ve never been there and don’t plan on paying to see it or Grandover. I’ve never been to Grandover, I can’t afford that place but there are plenty of people that can , so let’s take their money and run to the local First Citizens Bank.

  6. Can we move the GYC Carnival, Citystage and A&T’s homecoming parade down there too? Obviously we should strive to coordinate all of our earthshakingly historic events to Grandover due to it remarked impact on Greenboro’s past.

  7. Take all of the above except for the NC A&T Homecoming Parade. The Aggie Parade must remain on East Market Street. CityStage no longer exsists and the GYC would benefit from the highway exsposure out at Grandover. The current areas of Greensboro developmental focus should be the Airport expansion with FED EX due in soon and Grandover. Build office buildings downtown and then let the folks in suits head out to the Airport area and to Grandover after the workday and spend their dollars there. Build the new BJ Barnes Jail downtown and the officers won’t have far to walk to pick up the all the hooligans at the downtown Pubs. Re-elect Jim Melvin Mayor of Greensboro

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