Alexander Memorial Coliseum
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Template:Infobox Arena The Alexander Memorial Coliseum at the McDonald's Center (originally the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, also nicknamed The Thrillerdome) is an indoor arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the home of the basketball teams of Georgia Tech and hosted the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA from 1968–1972 and again from 1997–1999.
The Alexander Coliseum was originally opened in 1956 for Georgia Tech. It hosted the Hawks as well after they moved from St. Louis while The Omni was under construction. The stadium has undergone three major renovations. In 1986, 2,150 seats were added in what was previously an upper walkway around the rim of the arena. In 1989–1990, 750 seats were added in the endzone areas. The last major renovation was during 1995–1996, prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics. The floor was lowered four feet to improve sightlines and increase seating, twelve luxury suites were added, and most of the benches were replaced with chairback seats. The McDonald's name was also added to the arena in honor of a $5.5 million donation to help pay for the renovation. Today, the arena seats 9,191.
During the 1996 Summer Olympics, the arena hosted the Olympic boxing tournement.
The Coliseum played part-time host to the Hawks again between 1997 and 1999, after the Omni was demolished and while Philips Arena was being built on its site. During this period, the Hawks played most of their home games at the Georgia Dome.
A McDonald's restaurant was added during the last renovation but has since closed. The "golden arches" on the signs remain pursuant to their corporate donation.
Connected to the south end of the Coliseum are the Luck Building, constructed in the 1980s, and the Coliseum Annex, which was constructed slightly before the Coliseum itself. The Coliseum Annex houses locker rooms, a practice gym, and the offices of Georgia Tech Facilities. The top floor of the Coliseum Annex housed the studios of radio station WGST prior to 1975 and the student radio station, WREK, from 1978 to 2004.