The Iceman’s Arena THIRD AND M STREETS NE
ULINE ARENA WAS BUILT i n 1941 by Migiel “Mike” Uline to present ice skating, hockey, basketball and tenni s. e Dutch immigrant 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-o ffs. J udge Kaye K. Christian recalled that during the 1950s and ’60s her mother Alice Stewart Christian won the Afro- American Newspaper ’s cooking competition three times at Uline. Arnold “Red” Auerbach began his professional career in 1946 coaching the Washington Capitols at Uline Arena. He 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, led actions against 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 aren a. e renamed Washington Coliseum presented the Beat le's fir st live U.S. concert in 1964. 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 during demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Live concerts ended in 1986. A er years of storing trash the arena awaited redevelopment in 2011.
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