Inside of the arena. Photo by Aaron.DeNu.

In 1941, Uline Arena opened on 3rd Street NE, in between L and M Streets right near Union Station. It now stands abandoned; its owner, Douglas Jemal, one of the biggest developers in the area, hasn’t done much with the site since he acquired it in a few years ago.

The arena, a brick structure with barrel-shell roof is now covered with graffiti. Uline Arena hosted the Basketball Association of America’s Washington Capitols, coached by Red Auerbach in the 50s and the now-defunct Washington Lions hockey team. In 1959, jewelry wholesaler Harry Lynn bought the arena and rebranded it as the Washington Coliseum.

As the Washington Coliseum, it became a place known for the concerts it hosted. The Beatles played their very first concert in the United States at the coliseum. The Beatles opened with “Roll Over Beethoven.” The cover of Bob Dylan’s greatest hits album was taken at the Washington Coliseum in 1965.

As the years went on, owners struggled to find events to fill the space, as larger spaces opened (the coliseum held approximately 9,000 people). In 1986 the arena closed for good and the Miracle Faith Center became tenants. By 1994, Waste Management used the space as an illegal trash transfer station (how sad). In 2006 it earned protection from the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board, saving it from demolition.

The future of the building is uncertain, Douglas’s company, Douglas Development Corporation, has plans to redevelop the former arena, but they aren’t very concrete. They’ve also been substantially delayed. Let’s hope this building can be brought back to its former glory and opened as something worthy of its history, and not left abandoned or used as a trash transfer station.