The Broadmoor World Arena was a
skating
Skating involves any sports or recreational activity which consists of traveling on surfaces or on ice using skates, and may refer to:
Ice Skating
*Ice skating, moving on ice by using ice skates
**Figure skating, a sport in which individuals, ...
rink and
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
arena located at
The Broadmoor
The Broadmoor (stylized as THE BRODMOOR) is a hotel and resort in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Broadmoor is a member of Historic Hotels of America of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its visitors hav ...
Resort & Spa in
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
. Originally an outdoor equestrian center and riding academy, the building was enclosed and converted into an ice arena which opened in January 1938. It was the original home of the
Colorado College Tigers hockey team, as well as the
Broadmoor Skating Club
The Broadmoor Skating Club is a figure skating club based in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has long been a major training center for the sport of figure skating. Founded in 1939, it was originally known as the Pikes Peak Skating Club, and was ...
, a major force in the
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...
community. The building served as the first home of the
NCAA Hockey Championships, hosting the first ten Final Fours (1948–1957) and once more, in 1969. The arena served as host to the
International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...
in
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
. It also hosted the
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ...
five times between 1957 and 1975.
With wooden seats, red aisle carpeting, and wildlife paintings on the walls, the arena had an intimate atmosphere that reflected its lakeside, resort hotel setting.
The arena was the primary arena setting in the 1978 movie ''
Ice Castles
''Ice Castles'' is a 1978 American romantic drama film directed by Donald Wrye and starring Lynn-Holly Johnson and Robby Benson. It is the story of Lexie Winston, a young figure skater, and her rise and fall from super stardom. Tragedy strikes wh ...
''.
In 1993, the Broadmoor announced that it would be closing the arena to make room for a $27 million expansion of the resort. It closed in March 1994. The last major event held at the arena was the 1994
World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The World Junior Figure Skating Championships (''"World Juniors"'' or ''"Junior Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters within a designated age range compete for ...
. The Tigers moved their hockey games to the similarly-named
World Arena
The Broadmoor World Arena (originally known as the Colorado Springs World Arena) in Colorado Springs, Colorado is an 8,000 seat multi-purpose arena and entertainment venue. The arena opened in 1998. In addition to the main arena, the adjacent I ...
.
In April 2014, after an agreement with the
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports even ...
(owners of The Broadmoor resort), the World Arena in south Colorado Springs was formally renamed the ''Broadmoor World Arena'', in order to take advantage of the name recognition of the original building.
[Moix, Cameron "AEG deal results in new name, more events for World Arena]
April 16, 2014 Colorado Springs Business Journal
''Colorado Springs Business Journal'', founded in 1989, is a weekly business periodical for Colorado Springs, Colorado.
History
Chuck Shelden and Roger Powell founded the ''Colorado Springs Business Journal'' on April 1, 1989. Its first office w ...
(Accessed January 3, 2015)
There is a memorial on the grounds of the hotel to the members of the 1961 US Figure Skating team, all of whom perished in the crash of
their flight to the 1961 championships near
Brussels, Belgium
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, RĂ©gion de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. Many of them had trained at the Broadmoor.
References
External links
History of the Broadmoor World Arena from Colorado College Athletics
{{coord, 38.790612, -104.85265, type:landmark, display=title
Defunct indoor ice hockey venues in the United States
Sports venues in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Defunct indoor arenas in the United States
Defunct college ice hockey venues in the United States
Figure skating venues in the United States
Sports venues demolished in 1994
Defunct sports venues in Colorado
Demolished sports venues in Colorado
1938 establishments in Colorado
Sports venues completed in 1938
1994 disestablishments in Colorado