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City Coliseum
Town Lake in Austin, Texas is the section of the Colorado River delimited by two dams (Tom Miller Dam on the west) that mark the upstream and downstream ends. The area on the south side of Town Lake from Lamar Boulevard east to South First Street is known as Auditorium Shores.1 The area between Barton Springs Road and Riverside Drive was at one time farmland used to grow spinach. Census data for 1915 reported that there were 56,000 farms in Texas. That number had dwindled to 2,092 by 1954.2
In 1947 a minor league baseball field was built on the property and named Disch Field after The University of Texas "Longhorns" Baseball coach William J. "Billy" Disch. In 1949 the City Coliseum was built on the land between Disch Field and Riverside Drive. It was said to formerly be an aircraft hangar bought by the city from Bergstrom Air Force Base and reconstructed there.
The Coliseum was used to hold many events and hosted a variety of acts from the Austin Symphony to Hank Williams. In 1953 the Coliseum was the site for the inauguration for Texas Governor Allan Shivers who had been reelected in 1952. On January 18, 1956, Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ performed at the Coliseum while on tour in Texas that week as an extra to Hank Snow's Grand Ole Opry show. Dates that week included shows in San Antonio, Galveston, Beaumont, Wichita Falls and Fort Worth. According to an article in the July issue of Pageant Magazine that year, Elvis said when he got to Austin he discovered a girl in his room shining his shoes. She announced that she was his self-appointed slave, but refused to reveal her name or address. Elvis and his traveling companion, Cousin Gene, had to take her wallet from her by force to get the information they needed to ship her back home to San Antonio. Just a week earlier, on the 10th, they had done their first session with RCA, at the McGavock Street studio in Nashville, where they recorded Heartbreak Hotel, I Got A Woman and Money Honey. The session was the first time that D.J. had recorded with them. Of the date in Austin, Lee Cotten wrote, Elvis, “acclaimed by critics as the greatest singing star in the last 10 years," according to the ad in the Austin American, played the Austin Coliseum at 8:00 p.m. Along with the rest of the Hank Snow tour, Charlie Walker was also listed on the bill. A special section of 1,500 seats were sold at the low cost of $1.00.3
This appearance was the last time they would perform together in Austin, this tour was the last time they would be a supporting act and soon after Bob Neal would no longer be officially associated with Elvis Presley. Ten days after the Austin show they would make their national television debut on the Dorsey Brother's Stage Show in New York.
Just two years later, on January 5, 1959 the larger Municipal Auditorium opened on the property east of the Coliseum. It would be the site of Bob Dylan's first live date with The Band.4 Elvis himself would return to Austin for an appearance at the Auditorium with the TCB band on March 28 1977. That brought the count to three of Austin's facilities that he performed at in immediate proximity of each other.
The Municipal Auditorium was renamed the Palmer auditorium in honor of Austin's former Mayor Lester E. Palmer in 1981.4 The Coliseum remained a popular venue through the years hosting a multitude of acts from Joni Mitchell to The Clash. Today though, of all the structures in Austin and its vicinity that Elvis performed in, with Scotty and Bill or without, not one remains. Over time the number of events there dwindled and the last event to be held at the Coliseum was the Austin Lyric Opera's production of "Rigoletto" on May 20, 2002.5 The venue was demolished later that year.
The Lester E. Palmer Events Center had been completed in June of 2002 and today shares the property with the Long Center for the Performing Arts, which replaced the (Municipal) Palmer Auditorium. Much of the remaining area was returned to green space and parks, trails and a man made pond occupy the site of the Coliseum.
Today, a similarly shaped structure in Town Lake Park housing public restrooms sits in what was once Disch's right field, intentionally or not, gives a nod to the Coliseum that once stood nearby. page added December 15, 2010 1
according to Town
Lake Austin Texas courtesy Guide
To Texas Outside Special thanks to FECC/unclefester for the initial inquiries about this venue which was the inspiration for this page.
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All photos on this site (that we didn't borrow) unless otherwise indicated are the property of either Scotty Moore or James V. Roy and unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. |
