Washington Coliseum

The Washington Coliseum, formerly Uline Arena, is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. located at 1132, 1140, and 1146 3rd Street, Northeast, Washington, D.C. It was the site of the first concert by The Beatles in the United States. It is directly adjacent to the railroad tracks, just north of Union Station, and bounded by L and M Streets. While today it is used as a parking facility, it once hosted the Basketball Association of America's Washington Capitols, coached by Red Auerbach from 1946–49, and the American Basketball Association's Washington Caps in 1969-70. It also was host to many performances and athletic events of varying types, including ice skating, martial arts, ballet, music, circuses, speeches and even The Beatles first show in the United States. As an arena, it held 7,000 to 9,000 people for events. On February 11, 1964, The Beatles played their first concert in the United States, less than 48 hours after the band's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Tickets to the show at the Coliseum ranged from $2 to $4. There were 8,092 fans at the concert which was opened by The Chiffons, The Caravelles and Tommy Roe. The Beatles opened with "Roll Over Beethoven." The Beatles played for approximately 40 minutes! The building still stands today in the NoMa neighborhood near Union Station, what was formerly known as Swampoodle. It was used as a trash transfer station by Waste Management, the company that handles trash disposal for the District of Columbia, from 1994 to 2003. Waste Management Inc. applied for a demolition permit on May 9, 2003. The D.C. Preservation League listed the building in its "Most Endangered Places for 2003". In order to protect it from efforts to raze the building, it was added to the official protection list of the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board in November 2006. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on May 17, 2007. It is a popular spot for graffiti and is now used as an indoor parking lot.