Editing Chicago Coliseum (section)

==The second Coliseum==
[[File:Chicago Coliseum (Officialproceedi1896demo 0020) (cropped).jpg|thumb|300px|The second Coliseum]]
[[File:1896 DNC (1).jpg|thumb|300px|[[1896 Democratic National Convention]]]]
The second Coliseum, in the [[Woodlawn, Chicago|Woodlawn]] neighborhood on the city's south side, had a difficult history. Initial construction began early in 1895 on a {{convert|14|acre|m2|adj=on}} site of the [[World's Columbian Exposition]], but on August 22, the incomplete structure collapsed, and builders had to start over.<ref name=collapse>{{cite news| title=Collapse Not Fatal| url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1895/08/23/page/3/article/collapse-not-fatal| work=Chicago Tribune| date=August 23, 1895| page=3}}</ref> Construction of the {{convert|300|by|700|ft|adj=on}} building entailed the use of {{convert|2.5|e6lb|kg}} of steel, {{convert|3.2|e6ft}} of lumber, and 3 million bricks, and was finally completed in June 1896. The building was impressive in size for its day, twice as large as [[Madison Square Garden]]; its interior was supported by 12 massive arches, {{convert|100|ft}} high with a span of {{convert|230|ft}}. The facility housed {{convert|7|acre}} of interior floor space.

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show opened the facility, and in July 1896, it hosted the Democratic Party's national convention, which nominated for the presidency [[William Jennings Bryan]]; he famously electrified the crowd with his historic [[Cross of Gold speech|"Cross of Gold" speech]]. In October 1896 the Coliseum hosted the [[Barnum and Bailey Circus]], the largest three-ring circus in the country.<ref name=Pruter/>

College football teams immediately saw the feasibility of playing indoor games in the Coliseum, and four big games took place:

* [[Michigan Wolverines football|University of Michigan]] vs. [[Chicago Maroons football|University of Chicago]], Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1896; won by Chicago, 7–6.
* [[Carlisle Indian Industrial School|Carlisle Indian School]] vs. [[Wisconsin Badgers football|University of Wisconsin]], December 19, 1896; won by Carlisle, 18–8.
* Carlisle Indian School vs. [[Illinois Fighting Illini football|University of Illinois]], November 20, 1897; won by Carlisle, 23–6.
* University of Michigan vs. University of Chicago, Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1897; won by Chicago, 21–12.

The Carlisle games represented the first time the Carlisle Indian School played in the Midwest. In 1896, 8,000 fans each attended the Chicago-Michigan and Carlisle-Wisconsin games, and in 1897, 12,000 fans attended the Carlisle-Illinois game and 10,000 showed for the second Michigan-Chicago game.

In January 1897, the Coliseum hosted one of the largest trade shows in the country, the annual Bicycle manufacturer's trade show. Another grand trade show took place in October, the Chicago Horse Show. The Coliseum by this time was hailed as a financial success. Besides football games, the facility hosted bicycle races, the Military and Athletic Carnival of the AAU, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, horse shows, agricultural exhibitions, and commercial trade shows.

On December 24, 1897, around 6:00 PM, during the Manufacturers' Carnival and Winter Fair, after many visitors had left the exhibit for supper, a fire caused by faulty electrical wiring broke out and swept through the building. Despite initial reports of numerous deaths, only one man died, a fireman (not a city fire fighter, but the facility's furnace man). The building was completely destroyed, primarily when one of the 12 arches supporting the roof fell over to bring down all the other arches like a row of dominoes. The fire consumed the building within 20 minutes. This massive structure, one of the greatest indoor facilities of the 19th century, had a lifespan of only 19 months.<ref name=Pruter/>