Top Five Sports Venues That Have Been Saved

As someone who believes in saving sports facilities, I think there is already great precedent around the world for saving Roberts Stadium. The following is my top five list of stadiums that are being saved and reused still today.

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5. Arsenal Stadium- Highbury, North London: Built in 1913, Arsenal Stadium has seen many soccer games, including a World Cup qualifier. But in 2006, Arsenal F.C needed a much bigger facility and left the stadium for the newly built Emirates Stadium, leaving Arsenal Stadium Empty. Instead of completely demolishing the complex, the city opted to incorporate the stadium into a housing complex with a park in the middle. The complex still stands today.



4. Compaq Center- Houston, Texas: From 1975 to 2003, the Compaq Center (also known as "The Summit") was the home to the NBA's Houston Rockets. The Compaq Center represented a lavish new breed of sports arenas, replete with amenities, that would help the NBA grow from a second-tier professional sport into the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry that it is today. 6 other teams from various leagues have shared the facility with the Rockets, and it has hosted the NBA Finals on four different occasions. In 1994 and 1995, the Compaq Center was the site of the deciding games in the championship series and of the ensuing celebrations.

In 2003, the Rockets left the Compaq Center to move into the newly built Toyota Center in downtown Houston. This left the future of the Compaq Center in jeopardy. Luckily, the City of Houston leased the arena to Lakewood Church, a megachurch, which invested $75 million in renovations to convert the arena into the current configuration of seats and rooms for its need. The renovations took over 15 months to complete, and the renovations included adding five stories to add more capacity. In March 2010 the church announced that it would buy the campus from the city of Houston for $7.5 million.




3. The Great Western Forum- Inglewood, CA: The Forum achieved its greatest fame as the home of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League from 1967 until 1999. Along with Madison Square Garden, it was one of the most well-known indoor sports venues in the world during this time. The Forum was the site of the 1972 and 1983 NBA All-Star Games, the 1981 NHL All-Star Game, and hosted the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament from 1983–1988 and also the 1989 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament. Several NBA Finals have also been played on The Forum's floor.

After the Lakers and Kings left for the new downtown Staples Center, Faithful Central Bible Church, home to a congregation numbering over 12,000, purchased the Great Western Forum at the end of 2000 and began holding its regular service there each Sunday morning. Under Faithful Central, the building has continued to be made available for rent for concerts, sporting events and other activities that require that type of large venue.



2. Houston Astrodome- Houston, Texas: Nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World," the Astrodome is the world's first domed sports stadium. As the former home to the Houston Astros and Oilers, the Astrodome has played host to the Final Four, the NLCS, the AFC Championship game, and the NBA All-Star game as well as a concert by Elvis Presley.

Since the departure of the Oilers to Tennessee in 1997 and the Astros for a newly built downtown ballpark called Minute Maid Park in 1999, the Astrodome has been without a major tenant. Plans to convert the Astrodome into a luxury hotel were rejected, but a new proposal to convert the Astrodome into a movie production studio is currently underway. http://www.astrodomestudios.net/



1. Minneapolis Armory- Minneapolis, Minnesota- I had an opportunity to go inside this historic facility back in 2006 and what a treat that was. Home to the Minneapolis Lakers (now Los Angeles Lakers), it is home to the Lakers first franchise championships and NBA great George Mikan.

Hennepin County bought the armory in 1989 for $4.7 million dollars, with plans to place a new county jail on the site. The Minnesota Historical Society sued to stop its destruction and in 1993 the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the structure was protected by state law and could not be torn down because of its historical status. In 1998, the county sold the building for $2.6 million dollars to a private company for use as a parking structure on condition that it be preserved. That is its present use.