A just over 80-year-old building that serves as the home to the El Paso Rhinos hockey team may be in danger of demolition.
Located at 4100 East Paisano Street, the El Paso County Coliseum was built during the middle of World War II at a cost of $321,000 and initially hosted rodeo events. In subsequent decades the structure housed sporting and musical events, with fans packing the building for an Elvis Presley concert in late 1972.
The coliseum, with a current seating capacity of around 8,000, underwent a comprehensive $9.5 million renovation in 2003.
Now, according to various sources, the 20,200 square foot building could be a thing of the past if a federal project seeing expansion of the nearby Bridge of the Americas port of entry becomes reality.
Three design options have been aired by the General Services Administration, with one of those options proposing that the federal government purchase and eventually demolish the building for the bridge expansion.
The possibility of the coliseum being leveled has sparked opposition from local officials as well as residents, with a public input meeting scheduled for early June.
The General Services Administration has said that a final decision in the matter has not yet been made. It was earlier announced that the Bridge of the Americas work could begin in 2027.
By Garry Boulard
