The Coliseum

“The Souths largest and finest dance floor.”

In the beginning – 1920s

The Orlando Coliseum corporation was form in 1926, to secure investors for the coliseum project to be constructed on North Orange Avenue at New Hampshire. The corporation consisted of C. F. Cullen, president; W. B. Joiner, vice-president; John Grassfield, secretary-treasurer; Ted Kissam, and C. A. Boyer, directors. This was not Cullen’s first venture into the coliseum business. Three years earlier, Cullen had enticed locals in the St. Petersburg are to invest in the construction of the St. Petersburg Coliseum which he promoted as the “Best Ballroom in the South.”

According to well-known Central Florida realtor and developer, Carl Dann, land speculators were out of control in 1925, “it finally became nothing more than a gambling machine, each man buying on a shoestring, betting dollars a bigger fool would come along and buy his options,” Orlando the City Beautiful (p. 98). It was in this buying frenzy that stock in the Coliseums in St. Petersburg, Davis Island in the Tampa area, and the Orlando Coliseum were promoted to investors by C. F. Cullen.

On April 10, 1926, S. V. Straley Company entered into a 99-year lease for the use of the Orlando coliseum property with C. F. Cullen, F. C. Workman and John S. Grassfield. They agreed to pay only ten dollars on signing and a rental of $12,000 for the second through fifth years of the lease, $15,000 for each of the remaining 94 years of the lease. Just four days later, on April 14, 1926, the Orlando Coliseum Corporation was formed, and the advertisements to entice investors began immediately.

The April 18, 1926, front page of the Sunday Reporter-Star featured photos of the newly construction and stunning St. Petersburg Coliseum and descriptions of the planned coliseum for Orlando just south of Rosemere and north of Lake Ivanhoe with 200 feet on North Orange Avenue. The structure was to be a Spanish style building 175 x 225 feet with a hardwood maple dance floor to accommodate 2,500 couples and an auditorium with the seating capacity of 5000. In addition, there would be a soda fountain and lunchroom and refreshments would also be served to guests at tables in loges surrounding the dance floor. The coliseum grounds were to be “beautified by landscape architects” and would be larger than the grounds of the St. Petersburg or Tampa coliseums. There was also to be a 60 x 125-foot swimming pool with depths from 3-12 feet with a diving tower with platforms at 10, 20, and 30 feet, plus a children’s pool 18 inches deep.

According to an article in the Evening Reporter Star (p. 3), C. F. Cullen arrived in Orlando to assume duties as the executive of the new coliseum effort and a week later on Sunday, April 25, 1926, a full-page advertisement was featured in the Sunday Reporter-Star. Advertisements to drive interest in the securities being sold appeared daily for at least two weeks.

 The Coliseum formally opened to the public on December 23, 1926, with great fanfare. A full-page advertisement on the front page of Section 2 of the Orlando Morning Sentinel featured a photo of the nearly completed Coliseum sans landscaping along with photos of president C. F. Cullen, vice-president C.E. Boyer, secretary-treasurer W. B. Joiner, director John Grassfield and director E. W. Kissam.

The eleven-piece Tom Dank’s Coliseum Orchestra, from the St. Petersburg Coliseum was brought to Orlando for the grand opening festivities.

In addition, the special section included a large advertisement for the Coliseum Soda Grill operated by Arthur Hutt who was also the proprietor of Hutt’s Cafeteria in Orlando.

Congratulatory advertisements are featured on Section B, page 8 and others are scattered throughout the section from companies who assisted in the construction or provided equipment, fixtures, or furnishings, and from banks, civic leaders and community organizations.

1930s

Located on New Hampshire Street in College Park, the 12-lane bowling alley called the “Bowliseum” was added by William Kemp after he acquired the property in 1937.

 
This advertisement for the Bowliseum, Inc., was in the business section of the August 1951 Orlando Southern Bell Telephone Directory at the Orlando Public Library.

The advertisement above is from the 1962 Orlando City Directory, p. 44, Orlando Public Library. The manager at the time was Julius Anixt.

1940s

During the war years in the 1940s the Coliseum was the site of many dances featuring greats of the Big Band era.

A dance card belonging to LaRue Ann Phillips Carmichael from March 25, 1946, autographed by Johnny Long and Francey Lane evokes memories of a time when young ladies would record the names of all the gentlemen who asked if they would like to join them for a dance. LaRue Ann was married at the time to Ellis P. Carmichael so that is probably why her dance card was not filled with the names of gents wanting to dance. 

Former Orange County Tax Collector, Earl K. Wood and his wife, Mary, danced to the sounds of Big Band music many a night at the Coliseum in the 1940s. Earl was voted best dancer at Orlando High School. His seat at the Coliseum was 17 B.

Orlando Sentinel advertisement March 25, 1946, page 22. 

1950s – 1980s Coming Soon!

Today

All that remains of William Kemp’s lifelong obsession with entertaining the public is the Bowliseum at 310 East New Hampshire Avenue in College Park. Constructed in 1950, the 12-lane indoor bowling alley still retains its distinctive facade.