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The 'Hollywood Sportatorium' was a large events facility for South Florida in the 1970's and 1980's, and during its existence was the only venue of its kind in Broward County. Built in 1969 and opened in September of 1970, it had a concert capacity of 15,500 seats, over three times the capacity of its Dallas counterpart, also called the Sportatorium. It was located at 16661 West Hollywood Boulevard, (later Pines Boulevard) in what was then unincorporated Broward County. It was adjacent to the Miami-Hollywood Motorsports Park, constructed four years earlier. At the time, Pines Boulevard was a two-lane road in a thinly populated area.
The Sportatorium was a crudely-constructed arena made of cement and sheet metal, and originally lacked any indoor climate controls. Air conditioning was installed in 1976, but it was ineffective. The land on which the arena stood was annexed to Pembroke Pines in 1980. The Sportatorium was the site of concerts for Elvis Presley, Elton John, Queen, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen, Billy Joel, Rush, and other bands in the 1970s and 1980s. Numerous conventions took place at the facility, including a Star Trek convention featuring Gene Roddenberry. Despite hosting well-known musical acts, the Sportatorium was notorious for poor acoustics. At one concert at the facility, Billy Joel reacted to the echo by yelling, “This place sucks!”.
Plans to convert the Sportatorium into a hockey arena were never realized, and it finally closed in 1988 due to the loss of business to the newly-built Miami Arena in neighboring Miami-Dade County. Its final show on October 21, 1988 featured country music groups Highway 101, Desert Rose, and Larry Boone.
In 1993, due to disuse, hurricane damage from the previous year's Hurricane Andrew and zoning changes creating residential neighborhoods surrounding the facility, the Hollywood Sportatorium was torn down. A supermarket and the ''Pembroke Isles'' community occupy the site. Most of the Sportatorium's target business would return to Broward County in 1998 with the completion of BankAtlantic Center in nearby Sunrise, Florida.
★ City of Pembroke Pines website
The Sportatorium was a crudely-constructed arena made of cement and sheet metal, and originally lacked any indoor climate controls. Air conditioning was installed in 1976, but it was ineffective. The land on which the arena stood was annexed to Pembroke Pines in 1980. The Sportatorium was the site of concerts for Elvis Presley, Elton John, Queen, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen, Billy Joel, Rush, and other bands in the 1970s and 1980s. Numerous conventions took place at the facility, including a Star Trek convention featuring Gene Roddenberry. Despite hosting well-known musical acts, the Sportatorium was notorious for poor acoustics. At one concert at the facility, Billy Joel reacted to the echo by yelling, “This place sucks!”.
Plans to convert the Sportatorium into a hockey arena were never realized, and it finally closed in 1988 due to the loss of business to the newly-built Miami Arena in neighboring Miami-Dade County. Its final show on October 21, 1988 featured country music groups Highway 101, Desert Rose, and Larry Boone.
In 1993, due to disuse, hurricane damage from the previous year's Hurricane Andrew and zoning changes creating residential neighborhoods surrounding the facility, the Hollywood Sportatorium was torn down. A supermarket and the ''Pembroke Isles'' community occupy the site. Most of the Sportatorium's target business would return to Broward County in 1998 with the completion of BankAtlantic Center in nearby Sunrise, Florida.
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See also
External links
★ City of Pembroke Pines website
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