Historical Marker · No. 960
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County · California
Erected by California State Parks, with American Institute of Architects, the Coliseum Commission, and USC, 1984
It opened in 1923 as a memorial to the dead of the First World War and has been collecting history since. John and Donald Parkinson designed it, then enlarged it for the 1932 Olympics; the games returned in 1984 and made it the only stadium to have held them twice. It has also held a World Series, Kennedy's 1960 acceptance speech, Dr. King in 1963, and two NFL franchises. The Olympics come back in 2028, and no other venue will have hosted three.
What the plaque says
This stadium was originally completed in 1923. It was partially redesigned and enlarged for the 1932 Olympic Games. Both designs were by architects John & Donald B. Parkinson. The Coliseum has witnessed many important sports, political, and historical events. When the games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad began here on July 28, 1984, the Coliseum became the first stadium in the world to host the Olympic Games twice.
Where it stands
34.01359, -118.28632 · Directions
Worth the stop nearby
- Colorado Street Bridge — 12 miBeaux-Arts concrete arches curving 150 feet above the Arroyo Seco, opened in 1913 and later a link in Route 66.
- Mission San Gabriel Arcangel — 12 miThe fourth Alta California mission, built on Tongva land with Tongva labor, rebuilt after arson and now telling that story straight.
- Santa Monica Pier — 12 miWhere the Mother Road runs out of continent, and where the End of the Trail sign gives the drive somewhere to finish.