Editing Richfield Coliseum (section)

===Demolition and environmental remediation===
The Coliseum's fate was sealed in 1990, when voters in [[Cuyahoga County]] approved a new [[sin tax]] to fund the [[Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex]], which included Gund Arena. The Cavaliers moved to Gund Arena at the beginning of the 1994–95 season.

In 1997, the hardwood floor was sold to Grace Christian School of [[Staunton, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sladek|first=Jon|date=October 29, 2014|title=Remnants of Richfield|url=https://www.clevescene.com/news/remnants-of-richfield-the-untold-story-of-how-the-cavs-floor-from-the-richfield-coliseum-ended-up-at-a-small-school-in-virginia-4401650|newspaper=[[Cleveland Scene]]|location=Cleveland, Ohio}}</ref>

After being vacant for five years, the arena was torn down in 1999, between March 30<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian E.|last=Albrecht|title=Death of the Palace on the Prairie|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%200F80D2E9484E9C62%20)&p_docid=0F80D2E9484E9C62&p_theme=aggregated5&p_queryname=0F80D2E9484E9C62&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=G4BF4BYBMTIyMDk5Njg0My42NzYxNTM6MToxMjoxOTguMzAuMjI4LjA&&p_multi=CPDB|newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]]|location=Cleveland|date=March 30, 1999|access-date=September 9, 2008}}</ref> and May 21,<ref>{{cite news |title=Ruins of the Coliseum|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%200F80D3D76789D515%20)&p_docid=0F80D3D76789D515&p_theme=aggregated5&p_queryname=0F80D3D76789D515&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=J52V52JIMTIyMDk5NjEzMi45NjY2NTI6MToxMjoxOTguMzAuMjI4LjA&&p_multi=CPDB|newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]]|location=Cleveland|date=May 22, 1999|access-date=September 9, 2008}}</ref> and the arena footprint and surrounding parking areas were allowed to be returned to woodland as part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, now [[Cuyahoga Valley National Park]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Lee|last=Chilcote|title=The Rise and Fall of Richfield Coliseum|url=http://www.tpl.org/publications/land-and-people-magazine/archive/landpeople-fall-1999/the-rise-and-fall-of-richfield.html|work=Land & People|publisher=[[The Trust for Public Land]]|date=November 1, 1999|access-date=April 12, 2012}}</ref> Two years later it was noted that the site appeared to have no trace of the former building,<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian E.|last=Albrecht|title=Greening of the Coliseum|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%200F2D6427477DE771%20)&p_docid=0F2D6427477DE771&p_theme=aggregated5&p_queryname=0F2D6427477DE771&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=X5FF5FJVMTIyMDk5NjEyNy45NTc5MjM6MToxMjoxOTguMzAuMjI4LjA&&p_multi=CPDB|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|location=Cleveland|date=June 25, 2001|access-date=September 9, 2008}}</ref> although a widened section of [[Ohio State Route 303|Route 303]], as well as the remains of the parking lot entrance, reveal its location.<!-- Ambiguous: 303's widening is also to accommodate the I-271 interchange -->

The site is now a grassy meadow and has become an important area for wildlife. Birds such as the [[Eastern meadowlark]], [[bobolink]], and various [[American sparrow|sparrow]]s now inhabit the area. This has caused the site to become popular with local birders.<ref>{{cite news |first=James F.|last=McCarty|title=Coliseum Grasslands Offer Intimate Views of Some of the Most-threatened Bird Species: Aerial View|url=http://www.cleveland.com/neobirding/index.ssf/2012/06/cvnps_coliseum_grasslands_prov.html|newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]]|location=Cleveland|date=June 5, 2012|access-date=June 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.nps.gov/cuva/historyculture/former-coliseum-property.htm Former Coliseum Property]". Cuyahoga Valley National Park website ([[National Park Service]]). Retrieved June 10, 2012.</ref>