The Trail Blazers’ development team officially released its proposal to redevelop Memorial Coliseum this week, handing copies to City Commissioners and apparently to the Oregonian before the plan has been posted on the city’s website.
The big news about their vision for Memorial Coliseum is its plan to build the rumored Nike Museum across the street from the Coliseum. Previous descriptions of the Blazers’ plan described the museum as a one-of-a-kind Nike Interactive Experience.
The proposal would keep the Winterhawks in the 50-year-old building, but says it will modernize the ice rink and scoreboard and reduce the seating capacity of the bowl. Also included in the pitch are promises for a community athletic center (probably a nod to the MARC idea), a meeting room for veterans and full-service restaurants.
Though their pitch for the Coliseum is just one of over 40 the Rose Quarter’s Citizen Advisory Committee will weigh, the Blazers’ development team links their vision for the Coliseum with their redevelopment of the rest of the Rose Quarter. “A renovated Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a central element in the Trail Blazers’ development vision for the Rose Quarter,” reads the Blazers’ press release.
Today is the last day for the public to submit ideas for how to repurpose Memorial Coliseum. We compiled a rundown of earlier ideas submitted, including turning the MC into a velodrome or community athletic center.
- click the rendering to make it bigger
- The Rose Quarter as Jumptown. The Coliseum is looming there in the background.
A Nike Museum is probably the dumbest proposed “cultural” amenity I can think of. Don’t they realize Nike is as equal an embarrassment to Portland as it is some kind of international brand? What kind of exhibits would they have? The Nike “Chinese Child Labor Sweat Shop” diorama? A Michael Vic dog fighting ring? That one shoe that started it all? Obviously, it will just be a Nike Town with a big gift shop.
I’ve seen this idea before. Take a shoddy urban area and over commercialize it, in part with public money. Shouldn’t there be a Hard Rock Cafe in this covered area?
I love this plan. The Veterans’ Memorial has to stay – the challenge is getting it used and popular. Adding the rooms for veterans’ use and the community athletic center will sure help with that – that’s awesome.
The bars and restaurants right outside the Garden should be really popular. You’re right, Chris, they will probably be chain restaurants – because chain restaurants appeal to a lot of people. That’s why they’re chains! Sorry if that doesn’t appeal to your indie cred or whatever, but newsflash – Americans love their cheesy fries.
I wonder how much Nike is putting in? Is the Nike museum really an extra cost? I wouldn’t be surprised if they were ponying up MORE than the cost of their musem – we’re probably funding some of the rest of this stuff with that money. Sure, a Nike museum may be a little silly, but who else is ready to kick in that kind of money to develop the Rose Quarter?
@KOifusion – Equating Nike with Chinese sweat shops is just ignorance. You’re just repeating what some guy told you in a coffee shop. I’ve been there, toured the factories, talked to the workers, in Chinese – trust me, Nike has good business practices. They have to, because they have to protect their brand! It’s always the Brand X stuff that doesn’t need to care about their supply chain – the major labels are always paranoid about it. I know that’s probably harder to write on a protest poster, sorry.
where is the velodrome and transgender bath rooms. This is going to be about as successful as Cucina Cucina and the other restaurants that used to inhabit the Rose Quarter.
I agree with Koifusion – a Nike museum would not be welcome in my city. Call me crazy, but celebrating a corporation which profits because of slave labor is just plain wrong.
Does anyone give a shit about the history of overpriced sneakers? I suggest that the museum include an interactive “guess who wore that shoe” exhibit, where patrons are asked to match the NBA player with one of several sweaty foot smells. Model it after those oxygen masks that fall from the ceiling during airline emergencies….whoop whoop.
NIKE MUSEUM???? WHY DONT YOU JUST SHIT DOWN MY THROAT INSTEAD??
I’d rather pay an overpriced ticket to a MLB baseball game than an overpriced ticket to a Nike museum.
The Sports Museum would fit nicely into this plan. It’s interactive and could use some financial love.
It does look like the kind of shit you’d see in San Jose or Phoenix.
it’s awful tough to compete against the Blazers marketing and political muscle, particularly when they have a media/editorial blitz on their plan before the City publishes all the concepts submitted prior to the 1/8/10 deadline. Nonetheless, a community plan for Memorial Coliseum is now on the table. Check out http://www.marcpdx.org (successor to http://www.dobetterportland.org) and join the conversation about an alternative to the Blazers’ plans for the Memorial Coliseum. Become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-Your-MA…