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Is Richmond Finally Preparing to Demolish the Vacant Coliseum?

Coliseum Update – May 2026

Wait, did that Thud begin to Rumble?

The Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority (GRCCA) has agreed to fund documents that could lead to the demolition of the Coliseum, which has sat vacant for more than seven years. Demolition continues to be seen an essential first step to the redevelopment of the 9 acre downtown parcel that has been pitched as part of an abandoned “Navy Hill” project and the current “City Center” plan.

In the meantime, downtown Richmond suffers from a large blight in the very part of town that was it’s brightest light in the summer of 1971 when the Coliseum opened to great fanfare. To make matters worse, it is adjacent to the City’s Convention Center, where visitors are supposed to get a favorable impression of Richmond!

The baby step of funding a demolition cost study is definitely needed. Published estimates have ranged from $3M up to $15M, so there’s a lot at stake for the City Budget.

If demolition actually takes place, there are still many large steps to developing the site in a public-private cooperative effort.

Peter Evans May 24, 2026 Abandoned Places Architecture City Planning

Location: Richmond, VA

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