To provide a safer environment for the public and significantly expedite guest entry into the venue, the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will implement a new clear bag policy this year that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the Coliseum for all events.

The clear bag policy affects the type and size of the bags permitted into the stadium — not the items (keys, makeup, combs, phones, wallets, and credit cards) that you would normally bring to a game. Guests can still carry these items in their pockets. Guests will also be allowed to openly carry a blanket or jackets into the stadium, though they will be subject to search.  For the fastest way to enter the stadium, we strongly encourage guests to not bring any type of bags, but if you must, outlined below are the specific types of bags that will be allowed inside the venue:

• One bag that is clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and does not exceed 12” by 6” and 12” or
• A one-gallon clear plastic storage bag (Ziploc bag or similar).
• In addition to one of the clear bags noted above, guests may also carry in a small clutch bag or purse approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap.
• An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection.

Prohibited bags include, but are not limited to: purses larger than a clutch bag, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, luggage of any kind, oversized seat cushions with pockets or metal structures, computer bags and camera bags or any bag larger than the permissible size.

These measures are designed to promote public safety while encouraging guests to limit the items they bring into the venue to create a more efficient screening and entry process.  We ask that all items are visible when entering the venue.  The fewer items that are concealed, the quicker the process becomes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Why did the Coliseum adopt this policy?

The University and the Coliseum are constantly reviewing stadium policies and security procedures and ways to make our venues safer. Unfortunately, world events, such as the attacks on venues in Paris as well as incidents closer to home in San Bernadino, have made sense to adjust our policy to enhance public safety.  The clear bag policy is designed to make stadium access more efficient by limiting the size and style of bags carried into the stadium.

Are other events limiting bags?

Yes. In fact, some like the University of Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State University do not permit any bags. The University of Arizona has adopted a similar policy.  The policy is the same at all NFL venues and similar bag restrictions and entrance procedures are in place at MLB, NBA, NHL and other special event venues.

How does the new policy improve public safety?

There will be a secondary perimeter around the stadium where security personnel will check for prohibited items or bags being carried toward the stadium so those situations can be corrected immediately. This establishes a protected buffer area for fans in at queues for stadium entry. Prohibited bags will be turned away. Any prohibited bag inside the second perimeter will be highly visible and more quickly resolved.

The clear bag is easily and quickly searched and greatly reduces faulty bag searches. It also supports the Department of Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign.

How does this make it more convenient for fans?

This will enable us to move fans through our security check points much faster. A standard size bag eliminates the need for bag templates to check bag sizes. It will make the stadium’s job much easier, allowing staff to be more efficient and effective in checking bags that are brought into the stadium. There will be less time spent standing in lines at the stadium gates and fans will be able to be in their seats well before kickoff. Fans also will enjoy an improved sense of safety. Shorter lines mean fewer hassles.

Do I have to purchase a bag from the Coliseum?

No, there are a variety of options, including a clear 12″ by 6″ by 12″ bag with no commercial identification or an inexpensive Ziploc bag that fans can bring from home. In addition, fans may carry their own small clutches. For fans though who wish to purchase logo bags, they will be available.

How many bags can each person bring into the stadium?

One large clear bag – either a one-gallon Ziploc style bag or the 12″ by 6″ by 12″ clear bag – plus a small clutch. The larger clear bag must be a standard 12″ by 6″ by 12″ made of clear PVC vinyl and is easily searched. The one-gallon Ziploc bag is readily available, inexpensive and easily searched. The small clutch allows privacy for small personal items and also is easily searched.

Can fans carry cameras, binoculars, smart phones or tablets separately from what they put in a clear bag?

Yes. Binoculars or a phone or camera can be carried into the stadium so long as it is not in its own bag. This is not a restriction on items that fans have been able to bring into the stadium. It is only a restriction on the type of container used to carry items.

Are seat cushions allowed to be carried into the stadium?

Single layer seat cushions may be carried into the stadium. Large seat cushions that have pockets, zippers, compartments, or metal structures are not permitted. Clear seat cushions and seat pads without pockets, zippers, compartments, or covers are permitted.

What about bringing blankets in cold weather?

Fans will be able to bring blankets by tossing them over a shoulder or arm. They can be easily screened carrying a blanket into the stadium.

What happens if I show up at the gate with a bag that is not permitted?

Fans carrying bags that do not meet the criteria will be turned away from the stadium before they reach the gates.

If I have certain items that I need to bring into the stadium for medical reasons and they won’t fit in the clear bag, what do I do?

Gate Supervisors will allow screening of these bags and medically necessary items.

Are all purses prohibited?

No, we are not banning all bags. Small clutch purses, with or without a handle or strap, are permitted along with either the 12″ by 6″ by 12″ clear tote bag or the one-gallon freezer bag. This should enable you to carry the same items you have in previous years and speed entry into the stadium for all fans because it will take less time to screen bags. Shorter lines means fewer hassles. We encourage fans not to bring any bags, but have created a policy that balances fan needs with improved public safety and convenience.

Do I have to put everything I’m carrying into the permissible bags?

No. We are limiting only the type of bags carried into the stadium, not items that you normally bring to a game. Therefore, you can carry in your pockets or jacket keys, makeup, feminine products, comb, phone, wallet, credit cards, etc., if you choose not to put them in a clear bag or clutch. And you can carry a blanket over your arms, and binoculars and/or camera around your neck or in your hands without the case. You can use the clear bag and clutch to carry other items. You will continue to have the flexibility to bring a wide variety of approved items into the stadium. Every member of your family may carry in a permissible bag.  They key is to not conceal items inside carrying cases, extra bags or bulky containers.

What about diaper bags?

Diapers and wipes can be carried in a clear bag. Each member of a family, including children, would be allowed to carry an approved clear bag and a clutch purse into the stadium. If this does not accommodate all of your needs, please see a Gate Supervisor for proper inspection at stadium entrance gates.  Always remember hearing protection for infants and young children.

If I have special medical equipment I need to have with me at all times, where do I put that?

An exception will be made for medical necessary items after proper inspection at stadium entrance gates.  Ask for a Gate Supervisor.

“The Dump That Jumps!”, the affectionate nickname Bruce Springsteen gave the 56-year-old Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was prophetic as over 45,000 die-hard fans recently celebrated with three memorable concerts from “The River” tour. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band gave sold-out, jam-packed performances at the Sports Arena on March 15, 17 and 19. The first two shows lasted well over 3 hours, and almost 4 hours on the third night, lasting just 5 minutes short of midnight.

The Los Angeles Times wrote about the March 19th performance which rocked and rolled the Sports Arena to its very foundation and, is the last rock ‘n’ roll concert scheduled before the iconic Los Angeles landmark closes its doors forever.

Los Angeles Times, Bruce Springsteen’s four-hour finale at the L.A. Sports Arena: A fitting ending to “The Dump That Jumps”

The three March 2016 concerts marked 34 performances by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in the Sports Arena since 1980 and showed why Springsteen also called it “the joint that don’t disappoint!”

 

The Coliseum has a unique connection to the veterans of the United States Armed Forces for being dedicated and rededicated at various times over the years to recognize the brave men and women that served our country. Upon completion in 1923, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was originally dedicated as a Los Angeles County memorial to World War I veterans. After World War II, the Coliseum was rededicated to both wars by Governor Earl Warren on Memorial Day 1946. Not everyone was happy with combining the two wars in one memorial so plans were developed to have a separate WWII Memorial in Exposition Park.

In 1953 approval was granted for a memorial patterned on the famous photograph of the flag raising at Mount Surabachi on Iwo Jima, and its location was to be the Figueroa Street entrance to  Exposition Park. For reasons lost to history (perhaps the fact that the United States Marines were about to construct a monument with the same imagery in Washington, DC), the Park memorial never materialized. However, when the Sports Arena was built in Exposition Park and opened in 1959, it became the City memorial to WWII and the Korean War. In 1966, it was rededicated to include the Vietnam Conflict. The Coliseum was once again referred to as the County WWI memorial.

In 1968, top Great War Air Ace Eddie Rickenbacker headlined a Veterans Day ceremony at the Sports Arena. Though no text exists of his remarks, this ceremony was apparently when the Coliseum was rededicated, but not just to LA County’s war veterans, but to “…all those who served in World War I.” This national designation is significant as it is one of only a handful of large scale memorials in the United States that seeks to encompass the entire Great War generation. A year later General Omar Bradley was the featured speaker to give recognition to the 50th anniversary of the war’s end as the current plaque placed on the Memorial Coliseum was unveiled.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum seeks to remember its heritage, not only as a stadium of considerable athletic and human achievement but, as a venue that pays tribute to those who answered the nation’s call nearly one hundred years ago. May the Torch of Freedom always burn bright.

To learn about the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, its education programs, and its commemorative events, click HERE.

 

January 15, 2016 marked the 50th anniversary of the first Super Bowl played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In advance of February 2nd’s upcoming Super Bowl 50, the NFL Network aired the historic game that was broadcast live on January 15, 1967. The famous 1967 Super Bowl I, between Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, was played for the first time since its original live broadcast on CBS and NBC in 1967.

The NFL says this is the only known film from Super Bowl I that they were able to put together from long lost footage:

“In an exhaustive process that took months to complete, NFL Films searched its enormous archives of footage and were able to locate all 145 plays from Super Bowl I from more than a couple dozen disparate sources,” the league said in a statement. “Once all the plays were located, NFL Films was able to put the plays in order and stitch them together while fully restoring, re-mastering, and color correcting the footage.”

The 50-year-old game received high-tech treatments of film enhancements, modern broadcast graphics and social media interaction. The film itself includes sound from the great Packers coach Vince Lombardi and, a group of commentators discussing how pieces of the Super Bowl I videotapes were lost and finally re-assembled. NFL Network’s Chris Rose, Steve Mariucci and Terrell Davis ran analyses from former Packer stars of the 1960s era such as Jerry Kramer and Dave Robinson, who both played in the game..

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is proud for having hosted the first Super Bowl game, won by the Packers 35-10.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play March 15th and 17th, 2016 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, as announced by the release of the band’s The River Tour 2016 schedule. The shows will be a full performance of “The River” with additional songs. This will be the final two rock and roll shows in the history of the 56-year old Memorial Sports Arena before it must permanently close its doors.

“It is fitting that Bruce play the final rock-show before the Arena closes,” said Joe Furin, General Manager of the Sports Arena. “He is the most illustrious performer in a long line of A-Listers having performed at the Sports Arena. His Los Angeles shows are legendary and the fans are in for a special treat as the band returns once again to what he famously called the “Dump that Jumps.”

Thirty-six years after the first 1980 The River Tour appearance, Springsteen returns one more time to add to his list of 36 concerts played at both the Memorial Sports Arena and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before a cumulative 846,000 fans.

The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena opened its doors in 1959 by then Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and was dedicated to the memory and recognition of those who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. For almost six decades the Memorial Sports Arena hosted its biggest and best diverse events, from the 1960 Democratic National Convention where John F. Kennedy accepted the Democratic party candidacy for the U.S. Presidency, to nine professional sports teams (including the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Clippers), two collegiate basketball teams (USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins) and the 1984 XXIII Olympiad Boxing Competition, plus appearances by notable sports and entertainment superstars and performers such as Cassius Clay, Andre the Giant, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Los Angeles Invitational Track Meet, Pink Floyd, Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Grateful Dead, U2, ACDC, Pearl Jam and Black Sabbath. The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena brought the best of entertainment and sports to Los Angeles for over 56 years.

Tickets to The River Tour go on sale December 11.

Recipients of the AIA|LA 25-Year Award Include the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad

The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA|LA) mines “Retro/Future” for its 2015 design awards season, honoring architects, built environment leaders, and cultural figures who remake the city’s possibilities by reconsidering existing landscape and ideas. This reimagining of past to serve what lies ahead, links the 2105 Presidential Honorees. They are:

♦  25-Year Award: Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad, Los Angeles
♦  Emerging Practice: Omgivning Architects – Karin Liljegren, AIA; Principal, Omgivning
♦  Design Advocate: Alissa Walker
♦  Educator Award: Sarah Lorenzen, AIA; Associate Professor and Chair, Cal Poly Pomona
♦  Community Contribution: Dana Cuff, Director, cityLAB
♦  Honorary AIA|LA: Aaron Paley, President, Community Arts Resources
♦  Building Team: The Hercules Campus at Playa Vista
♦  Gold Medal: Steven Ehrlich, FAIA

“From practitioners to educators, each honoree advances our profession and the city in which we all live,” said AIA|LA President Ted Hyman, FAIA. “What is particularly exciting this year, is the diversity of the honorees and the scale of the projects. There is also an overriding optimism in the work that is being produced.”

Conferred by the AIA|LA Board of Directors, the Presidential Honoree program recognizes excellence in design, and individuals whose passion, talent and dedication make an undeniable contribution to Los Angeles. Presidential Honorees are bestowed in conjunction with the chapter’s annual design awards.

ABOUT THE AIA|LA DESIGN AWARDS
Recognizing excellence in design, the AIA|LA Design Awards and Next LA Awards are prestigious honors bestowed on Los Angeles-based architects and practices that qualify for AIA|LA membership. The organization is one of the top three largest American Institute of Architects chapters in the United States. Submissions were reviewed by a select group of architects, fellows, critics, professors and theorists, who formed a jury that represented the best in the design field.

PHOTO ABOVE: Paul Senzaki, AIA, (center) and Paul Prejza (right) accept the 2015 AIA|LA Presidential Honoree 25 Year Award presented to the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles from AIA|LA President Ted Hyman, FAIA (at far left). photo: David Lena

Oct. 29, 2015

LOS ANGELES—The University of Southern California, as part of its long-term lease agreement, unveiled its proposed preliminary plans to renovate and restore the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during a meeting today (Oct. 29) with the Coliseum Commission.

If approved by the Commission, a full project launch will be announced in the spring of 2016. Construction would begin after the 2017 USC football season and completed for the 2019 football home opener, without impact to the 2018 season.

The estimated $270-million renovation will be privately funded by USC and USC will work to preserve the historic nature of the Coliseum. The planned renovation would far exceed USC’s obligations under its lease agreement to invest $100 million in improvements by 2054, including $70 million over the next decade.

“The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a treasure not just for Los Angeles but for the state of California, and its renovation is long overdue,” said USC President C.L. Max Nikias. “Our Board of Trustees has enthusiastically endorsed our plans and we are pleased to now present them to the Coliseum Commission. We believe these renovations will strengthen the Coliseum’s reputation as one of the world’s great venues, and also will enhance our world-class athletic programs that utilize the Coliseum.”

Said USC athletic director Pat Haden: “We are committed to providing our players, coaches and fans with one of the best facilities in the nation. This needed renovation to a stadium built in 1923 will ensure that the game-day experience gives all fans options to enjoy the stadium’s new amenities while recognizing the loyalty of our long-time fans. It also will provide our football team with a first-class facility and a home field advantage.”

The planned renovations include:

–Replacing every seat in the stadium and installing handrails throughout the stadium.

–Adding aisles, widening seats and increasing leg room in many sections.

–Building a new structure on the south side of the stadium that will include suites, loge boxes, club seats, a new concourse, and a new press box.

–Restoring the iconic peristyle to more closely resemble the stadium’s original design.

–Updating Wi-Fi technology throughout the venue.

–Improving audio and video, including two new large screens at the east end of the stadium.

–Adding new concession stands, and improving existing stands.

–Upgrading entry concourses.

–Installing new field and stadium lighting.

–Replacing the electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems to meet current standards.

The renovation will be funded entirely by USC Athletics from capital gifts, sponsorship revenue, non-USC events at the Coliseum and donor naming opportunities. It will not require any student fees or general university, local, state or federal funds.

The improvements to the stadium seating and aisles will reduce seating capacity from 93,607 to approximately 77,500. Student and band seats will not be relocated and USC will work to upgrade the student experience.

USC Athletics is committed to providing affordable seating options to all Trojan fans. Approximately two thirds of the seating in the renovated Coliseum will not require any capital donation. It is anticipated that the remaining inventory will be designated for supporters who make a one-time capital gift and are members of the Trojan Athletic Fund.

Those interested in receiving renovation updates, including renderings, seating options and amenities, can visit www.coliseumrenovation.com to register to become a “Coliseum Renovation Insider.”

Trojan Athletic Fund members and season ticket holders need not register, as they will be the first to receive project updates. They also will have priority to select seating, commensurate with membership level and years of support. “We are committed to completing this process in the most fan-friendly manner possible, recognizing the loyalty of our Trojan Athletic Fund members and long-time season ticket holders and providing a wide variety of seating options,” said Haden.

In the summer of 2013, USC received approval from the Coliseum Commission and the Board of Directors of the California Science Center to allow the transaction between the university and the state of California for USC to begin operating and renovating the Coliseum.

USC has been a tenant in the Coliseum since the historic stadium opened in 1923. The Coliseum last had substantial renovations 20 years ago, when $93 million was spent to repair damages sustained during Southern California’s 1994 earthquake and then another $6 million was spent to construct a new press box in 1995. Prior to that, the Coliseum underwent $15 million in renovations in 1993 when the stadium’s floor was lowered, new rows of seats were added down low and locker rooms and public restrooms were upgraded.

In its history, the Coliseum has hosted two Olympics, two Super Bowls, a World Series, a Papal Mass and visits by three U.S. Presidents. Besides USC football, the stadium has served at one time as the home to UCLA football, the pro football franchises of the Rams, Dons, Chargers, Raiders, Express and Xtreme, and baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers. It also has been the site of various other events, including concerts and international soccer.

The Coliseum currently is participating in a “zero waste initiative” in conjunction with USC’s Office of Sustainability and the Green Sports Alliance.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum remembers the Games of the Modern Xth Olympiads as it now celebrates its 83rd Anniversary of the 1932 Summer Olympic Games, the first of two Olympiads hosted, that ran from July 30th to August 14, 1932. The Games were a global multi-athletic event held in the Coliseum, which was temporarily renamed the Los Angeles Olympic Stadium. The Coliseum was commissioned to be built in 1921 as a memorial to Los Angeles veterans of World War I and was designed by notable Los Angeles architects John and Donald Parkinson, a father-and-son architectural team. The original bowl’s preliminary construction costs were $954,873. It was later enlarged for the 1932 Summer Olympic Games from its original 1923 capacity of 75,144 seats to 105,574 seats. The Olympic cauldron torch was added to the peristyle on the east end of the stadium, as well as the Olympic rings symbols which were placed over the main center entrance of the peristyle. Between the double peristyle arches is the Coliseum’s “Court of Honor,” plaques recognizing the events and participants in Coliseum history, including a full list of 1932 and 1984 Olympic gold medalists that now decorate the travertine tiled walls. Click here for the complete roster of honorees.

During the 1920s there were no other cities that were financially able to bid for hosting the 1932 Games due to the long and overwhelming economic downturn of the Great Depression. Many nations and athletes were unable to pay for the trip to the remote location of Los Angeles. But, it was indeed, Los Angeles who successfully hosted the Games and originated many successful firsts of influential endeavors. Los Angeles handled its finances successfully and inspired an encouraging awe that reassured the world of future Olympic Games to come.

For the first time in the Olympics’ history an Olympic Village was built in Baldwin Hills for more than 550 two-bedroom portable bungalows, covering 321 acres. Providing athlete housing became the model for all future Olympic Games. There were 1,836 male athletes staying at the Village and 126 female athletes at the luxurious Chapman Park Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard, located directly across the street from the former Brown Derby restaurant and the Ambassador Hotel. The men’s housing was “a group of several hundred houses, a 1200-foot-long dining hall and a large administration building,” as reported by the Games Popular Science Monthly on the Olympic Village plans that also included a post office, library, hospital, dental laboratory, theater, over 40 dining commissaries, a radio station and many other amenities for both men and women athletes.

Fifteen sports venues were used, most of which were existing locations due to the high costs of construction and building materials. The venues included two golf courses, two city parks, three public highways, and a city road. The Swimming Stadium was the only new venue constructed for these games and was built at first as a temporary venue but was then converted into a permanent indoor community pool. The Games also featured the first use of uniform automatic timing and photo-finish photography. It was also the first time a victory podium was used for awarding the gold, silver and bronze medals. American football and lacrosse were held but were not awarded medals as they were demonstration games. The peristyle was outfitted with the first mechanical scoreboard on which was displayed a quote by the founder of the modern games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin: “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning, but taking part. The essential thing is not conquering, but fighting well.”

Hollywood royalty was front and present, volunteering their time for promoting the Games. Such celebrities included Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, and Mary Pickford. Ticket sales were said to have picked up even more as the stars were favorites of the American public. U.S. organizers of the Games tried to get President Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Hoover to kick off the ceremonies since they both went to Stanford, and the First Lady grew up in Whittier. Both could not attend because the President wanted to focus on his re-election. Instead, Vice President Charles Curtis read a message at the Games which turned out to be a roaring success. As for President Hoover, he lost all victories from the state of California, as well as the 1932 election.

The United States won more of each medal than any other country for 41 golds, 32 silvers and 30 bronzes for a total of 103 medals in all. One of the medal winners of the Games was Babe Didrikson who won five events at the U.S. Olympic trials. The 1932 Olympic rules only allowed women to compete in no more than three events. Babe came in with the gold twice and once for the silver: the 80-meter hurdles, javelin and high jump. American women dominated in swimming, taking four of five gold medals. Swimmer Helene Madison won three gold medals in the 100 and 400 meter freestyle races and earned a third gold as part of the U.S. relay team. The first race-walk event was also a first to be held at the Games and was won by Eddie Tolan for the 100 and 200 meter runs.

Fifty-two years later the 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was the second grand occasion that Los Angeles hosted the Games, and just like the first 1932 Olympic Games, it was successfully managed for the games, athletes and financially. In 1984, the State of California and the United States Government declared the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum a State and Federal Historical Landmark for its contribution to the history of California, as well as to that of the United States as a whole.

Happy 83rd Anniversary of the 1932 Summer Olympic Games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. All the very best to the greatest stadium in the world for many more years, and Olympic Games, to come