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Greater H Street NE Heritage Trail
6 The Iceman's Arena
Uline Arena was built in 1941 by ice maker Mike Uline to present ice skating, hocky, basketball, and tennis. The Dutch immigrant, originally named Migiel Uihlein, had made a fortune patenting ice production equipment and selling ice from his plant next door. For years Washingtonians rode the streetcar here for sports, worship services, concerts, and cook-offs. Judge Kaye K. Christian recalled that during the 1950s and '60s her mother Alice Stewart Christian won the Afro-American Newspapers' cooking competition three times at Uline.
Arnold "Red" Auerbach began his professional career coaching the Washington Capitols at Uline Arena. He was hired in 1946, after having coached area high school basketball teams. Auerbach later coached the Boston Celtics to nine NBA titles.
Mike Uline segregated his audiences. African Americans could attend boxing and wrestling, but not supposedly higher-class attractions: ice hockey, the Ice Capades, and basketball. In response E.B. Henderson, a Harvard-trained health and physical education specialist and civil rights leader, protested Uline's policy. As audiences dwindled, Uline buckled to the economic pressure. In 1948 he opened the facility to all.
In 1959 Uline's estate sold the arena. The renamed Washington Coliseum soon presented the Bolshoi Ballet. In 1964, days after appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show," the Beatles played their first live U.S. concert here. Bob Dylan, the Motown Review, Chuck Brown, and Rare Essence also performed here.
In May 1971 the Coliseum became a holding cell for many of the 12,000 protesters arrested demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Live concerts ended in 1986. For years after, the arena stored trash. As of 2012 it awaited redevelopment. |