Unfortunately, as Charlie said, the Broadmoor World Arena will be torn down
next spring after the end of hockey season. I heard it on the news on July
23, when it was announced, but didn't have a chance to read the paper for
details until just recently. Here are some exerpts from articles in the
Gazette-Telegraph from July 23-25 on the decision and memories of the arena.
begin quoted material
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World Arena coming down (7/23/93)
The Broadmoor hotel, ending years of speculation about the fate of its
historic World Arena, announced plans Thursday to demolish the decaying
structure to make way for luxury rooms. The building is rickety, the
skating rink crowded and the halls are a fire hazard. But sports enthusiasts
reacted sadly to the news they'd been expecting for years.
...
Hotel officials said demolition will begin in March 1994. The $27 million
addition to the resort, which will include a 17,500-square-foot ballroom,
a meeting area and 150 rooms, is expected to be completed by May 1995.
Broadmoor President Steve Bartolin said this timetable is likely to spur
the rest of the community to speed up plans for a new multipurpose civic
arena. He also hinted broadly that the hotel might contribute money and
personnel - in the form of World Arena management - to such a facility.
...
The World Arena, which made its debut in 1938 as the Broadmoor Ice Palace,
has been home to Colorado College hockey and the training ground for scores
of figure skating champions and Olympic medalists.
The college hockey team will be allowed to finish its 1993-94 season and
the Junior World Figure Skating Championships will be held as scheduled
Nov. 23 through Dec. 5.
The Broadmoor, however, is coming off an economically devastating year
and hotel officials say this expansion will give them a sharper edge to
compete in the international and national luxury resort business.
...
At the same time, however, hotel officials concede that tearing down
the World Arena will be like pulling a fiber out of the community's fabric.
"I think it goes without saying that the World Arena is a tremendous part
of this hotel's history and that it brought international recognition to
The Broadmoor," Bartolin said. "The facility, though, has literally
seen its better days. It's not even close to being economically
feasible to bring it up to date."
...
Attorney Peter Susemihl, who heads a citizens group pushing for a new
arena-convention center, says it's too soon to tell what the extent of
The Broadmoor's commitment might be. New arena supporters, however, are
pushing for a facility that can accommodate up to three sheets of ice
and 16,000 spectators.
The El Pomar Foundation, which owns 20 percent of the luxury resort,
has already indicated it will make a substantial contribution to the
new center. Susemihl said that with enough private financing, it's
possible to have a practice rink built by next spring.
Skating club, CC hockey not worried yet (7/24/93)
They've heard the bad news. They understand the time crunch. Yet,
Colorado Springs' two primary ice-sport entities aren't panicking at the
prospect of losing the Broadmoor World Arena next March, when the historic
ice rink will be shut down and destroyed.
Despite the fact construction hasn't started on a new arena, Colorado
College's hockey program and the Broadmoor Skating Club are hoping for
the best. Those operations expect at least one practice-ice surface to
be built in the city by next spring, with an arena to follow by October
1994.
"Without a new arena by then, we would definitely be up a creek," CC
athletic director Max Taylor said. "But I've been in close conversation
with those people (arena organizers) for more than a year, and I'm
convinced they'll give it their best effort."
Taylor and Don Lucia, hired only two months ago as CC's new hockey
coach, recognized the potential problem in advance. Before Lucia
accepted the CC position, the college and the Broadmoor signed a
rental agreement, months earlier than usual, for the Tigers to play
their entire 1993-94 schedule at the World Arena.
"We're obviously glad the Broadmoor decided to keep it open for our
whole season," Lucia said. "It's an honor to be part of the arena's last
year, with all the history there. If that building could talk, what
great stories it could tell."
But Lucia agrees with common sentiment that the World Arena announcement
should expedite efforts to build a facility, "which will probably be
better for everybody in the long run," he said.
...
Sources have said the Broadmoor likely will be asked to operate a new
facility, with the present World Arena staff taking that responsibility.
...
Organizers haven't officially asked the Broadmoor to operate the
planned new arena, but Bartolin admitted the subject has arisen in
discussions. "We're very open-minded about it," Bartolin said. "I
wouldn't want anyone to think we were hogging the arena business. But
if people felt positively about us operating a new arena, the one thing
we could do is give them a staff that already knows how to operate an old
arena profitably."
Broadmoor World Arena: Ten of its Greatest Moments (7/25/93)
March 18,1950: Colorado College, led by a nucleus of players who stayed
to live in Colorado Springs, scores an amazing 10 third-period goals to
overwhelm Boston University, 13-4, for the Tigers' first NCAA hockey
championship.
March 1969: At the World Figure Skating Championships, legendary Soviet
pair champions Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov mesmerize the audience with
their long program, including their incomparable version of the death spiral.
December 1975: Trying to qualify for the 1976 Olympics, Team USA stuns
Moscow Spartak, led by many of the Soviet Union's powerful Olympians,
scoring with 20 seconds left in regulation for a 5-4 upset before an
overflow crowd.
March 1959: The Broadmoor's David Jenkins literally sneaks away from
medical school in California, returning here to give the U.S. its only
gold medal of that World Figure Skating Championships.
March 1969: In the 11th and final NCAA championship to be played here,
Denver University, with all-American George Morrison scoring the final
goal, defeats Cornell and legendary goalie Ken Dryden, 4-3, for the
title.
March 1975: Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millns of the Broadmoor, trying
to become the first American team to win a world ice-dancing title,
earn 6.0 marks but lose by hundredths of a point in the end.
March 1957: Just like seven years earlier, Colorado College scores eight
goals in the final 26 minutes, led by all-American Bill "Red" Hay, to
manhandle Michigan, 13-6, for the NCAA hockey championship.
March 1992: In the longest college postseason series ever, with seven
overtimes in three games (3-1-3), Colorado College outlasts Minnesota-
Duluth in the WCHA playoffs, winning the finale in three overtimes, 4-3.
December 1979: Not long before the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid, Team
USA paid a holiday-season visit with goalie Jim Craig, Mark Johnson, Mike
Eruzione and the rest beating a Soviet touring team called Gorky Torpedo.
April 1983: With the U.S. Men's Curling Championships here for the
second time in 10 years, the Don Cooper rink becomes the first (and
still only) Broadmoor team to win the national title.
end quoted material
-------------------
It appears that everyone is being optimistic about a new arena being built.
I hope the money for it will be found and it happens, or CC will have a
problem next fall. Even though I agree with descriptions of how run down
the arena has become (especially in comparison to the rest of the resort),
I'll still be sad to see it go.
I was planning on posting this earlier today, but my stupid editor has
tried everything to keep me from doing so until now :). At least I'm finally
on vacation until school starts in 4 weeks.... Any typos still left are mine.
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~ Karen Heasley ~ Animals are such agreeable ~
~ Colorado College '95 ~ friends - they ask no questions; ~
~ Colorado Springs, CO ~ they pass no criticisms. ~
~ [log in to unmask] ~ - George Eliot ~
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