With the first phase of renovations at Veterans Memorial Coliseum complete, fundraising is underway for the next stage of the project in downtown Evansville. The Veterans Coliseum Preservation Foundation must collect $3.5 million to start work on ADA accessibility and other improvements.
Jeff Justice with Hafer, the Evansville-based design firm working on the project, said the historic structure is a vital part of the city’s landscape.
“I’ve always admired it,” said Justice. “It’s a building that’s at the right stage to receive care. And then it can be reworked and reinvigorated so that it will return to be the icon in downtown.”
Supporters of the landmark, also known as the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum, want to restore the building to its former glory as a place for veteran events and entertainment opportunities.
“It’s unique in that it is a large venue that has a flat floor, and that floor allows all kinds of activities to happen on it, in addition to providing different ways to view what occurs on the stage, whether it’s in banquet seating or any of those types of things. But it also has the ability from a balcony standpoint to provide theater-type viewing to the stage. It has a variety of uses that no other venue in the city or this region has,” Justice said.
‘The mecca for entertainment’
Veterans Memorial Coliseum opened on Court Street in Evansville in 1917. The building hosted a variety of events, including silent movies, concerts and even circuses. VCPF President Jill Hahn said the venue attracted people downtown for decades.
“This was the mecca for entertainment in its day. And it continued up until when Roberts Stadium was built,” Hahn said.
The coliseum also hosted funerals—including Evansville’s James Bethel Gresham, the first U.S. combat fatality of World War I—and veteran meetings.
“The Spanish-American War veterans, the Civil War veterans, World War I veterans. Every war had different times that they would meet, sit down and talk about their days in battle,” said Hahn.
In recent years, the coliseum owned by the county and leased to the Veterans Council has been known as a wrestling venue and bingo center. When the building closed in 2023 due to age and decline, Hahn worried the facility might be razed like the L&N Depot on Fulton Avevnue or the Orr Iron Company on Pennsylvania Street.
“There have been many famous structures that have seen their demise. And there were several of us that wanted to make sure that didn’t happen to this structure,” said Hahn. “This is something that everyone can enjoy once we get it back on its feet.”
Initial renovation stages
The first phase of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum renovation initiative, which was recently finished, was funded by $6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. Infrastructure work included replacing heating, cooling and electrical systems, adding fire suppression and alarms and paying for security.
“The county approved use of ARPA funds to address the immediate issues,” Justice said. “The building was not sprinklered. When you start occupying a building with that many people in today’s codes and all of those things, that’s a necessity,” Justice said.
In the coliseum’s second phase of improvements, restoration and modernization tasks will involve plumbing work and ADA compliance, including a wheelchair-accessible ramp at the front door.
“Also, ADA compliance for the bathrooms. The bathrooms date back to their original style. Some of them don’t even work. And even when we were having events, probably only about half of the restrooms worked,” said Hahn.
Second-phase restoration plans also include renovating the entrance foyer, Spanish-American Room and Grand Army of the Republic Room, as well as adding a loading dock to the back of the building.
Justice said the goal of the project is not only to reactivate the venue but also to create some flexibility.
“We’re looking at a pull-out stair bleacher seating arrangement that would provide a more intimate theater for smaller performances. So we’re talking about 300 to 500 people all the way up to 3,000 people in different types of arrangements,” said Justice.
‘The building deserves our attention’
To raise $3.5 million for the second phase of renovations at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, VCPF is applying for grants and asking for donations.
On Nov. 1, the organization will host its inaugural gala, “In the Mood: A USO-Style Homecoming Celebration,” to raise money for the historic building’s restoration. The event will be held at Old National Events Plaza at 6 p.m. Tickets are available online.
The gala features keynote speaker J. Stewart Goodwin, who is the executive director of the Indiana War Memorials Commission and a retired Brigadier General of the U.S. Air Force.
“He’s behind renovating and preserving the Indiana War Memorials in Indianapolis. He has been a great source and guide to the Evansville project,” said Hahn.
Hahn said once ADA compliance is met, the coliseum can reopen. When that time comes, Justice believes the region will benefit from what the venue has to offer.
“All professional organizations in our community are working hard to attract people to this area. So not only does it provide a unique entertainment venue for the community, it also works for economic development as it brings professionals and new families to this area because of the enjoyment they can have at this venue and the others that we have,” said Justice.
The remaining phases of restoration work, which include patron amenities, a stage house addition and landscaping, are estimated to cost more than $25 million. Hahn said VCPF will update the project timeline as funding is raised and work progresses.
“This is not a five-year project. This is more of a 10-15-year project at different stages. It depends upon how much the community gets involved, and we have the backing of various people and organizations and hopefully corporate help as well,” Hahn said.
“The building deserves our attention. It is that important to the history and future of this community,” added Justice.