The Forum (Inglewood, California)
1960s/70s
The "Fabulous" Forum, as it would become colloquially
known to
locals[1],
was constructed by
Jack
Kent Cooke, owner of the Lakers and founding owner of the Kings, in
1967. The
oval-shaped, $16 million structure was named for and designed to evoke the
Roman
Forum. The
arena seats
17,505 for
basketball,
16,005 for
ice
hockey, and up to 18,000 for
concerts;
it has no luxury suites, but held an unprecedented 2,400 club seats for
events. In excess of 70 percent of the seats were located between the goals,
and no seat is more than 170 feet from the playing surface.
The Forum became a landmark in the
Greater
Los Angeles Area, in large measure from the success of the Lakers and from
the
Hollywoodtennis
matches,
rock
concerts,
boxing
matches, ice shows,
rodeos, and
political events. It is sometimes referred to as the Los Angeles Forum
or L.A. Forum to differentiate it from other buildings, venues and
places carrying the name "Forum". celebrities often sighted in its
audiences. It hosted a vast number of events such as
In
1979, Cooke sold
The Forum to
Jerry
Buss along with the Lakers and the Kings for a then-record $67.5 million.
1980s
At the same time, the Lakers experienced a tremendous run of
success in the 1980s, winning five NBA Championships and making the NBA Finals
every year but two. This level of success raised The Forum's profile greatly
across the sporting world, as fans became accustomed to watching playoff games
and other important games played there by the Lakers.
In 1984, The Forum also found itself in an international
spotlight, as it hosted the
basketball
tournaments of the
1984
Summer Olympics.
In
1988, Buss
capitalized on all of this success by selling the arena's
naming
rights to
Great
Western Savings & Loan. The exterior of the building was repainted
blue from the original dark orange/red color, and the building was officially
renamed the "Great Western Forum", and that name was retained for several
years, even after Great Western was acquired by
Washington
Mutual. Such
naming
rights deals have now become commonplace in major American sports,
but were not at the time of Buss' deal with Great Western. Although there was
some initial negative public reaction to the changing of the venue's historic
name, that reaction was muted by the fact that the new name did not overtly
reek of corporate sponsorship. In fact, "Great Western Forum" sounded so much
like a natural name that many people, particularly among those outside the Los
Angeles area, remained unaware that the name was the result of a naming rights
deal.
1990s
By the early
1990s, the
arena was among the oldest used for professional sports. Before the 1991-92
NBA and NHL seasons, a new, modern scoreboard was installed, replacing the one
that had been in use since the building opened in 1967. However, by the middle
of the decade, the Great Western Forum was still regarded as too small, and
more importantly, it lacked premium skyboxes and sufficient retail and
commercial space. Los Angeles officials, seeking to redevelop that city's
downtown area, began planning for a new sports arena and entertainment complex
to be located there, with an eye toward wooing the Lakers and Kings away from
Inglewood.
The Kings' owners (who did substantial business as real estate
developers) agreed to develop the complex, eventually given the name
"Staples
Center", and signed Buss on to move the Lakers into the new arena as a
co-tenant with the Kings. The new arena was to open in the autumn of
1999 and, as part
of this deal, Buss sold the Great Western Forum to L.A. Arena Co. (a company
also owned by the Kings' owners).
In 1999, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith opened
at the Disney-MGM Studios in Walt Disney World. The ride is depicted as a
wild-drive through Los Angeles, via stretched limousine, to the Forum for an
Aerosmith concert.
2000s
Blaming the Great Western Forum for low attendance, the Sparks
made
2000
their last season in the venue and then followed the Lakers and Kings to
Staples Center.
Faithful
Central Bible Church, home to a predominantly
African-American
congregation
numbering over 12,000, purchased the Great Western Forum at the end of
2000 and holds
its regular
service
there each Sunday morning. The church makes the building available for rent
(for concerts/sporting events/etc. that require that type of large venue) on
other days. As such, ownership is held through the church's for-profit entity,
Forum Enterprises, Inc., which continues to welcome to the arena mainstream
and secular
fare, including concerts by such artists as
Madonna,
the
Rolling
Stones,
David
Bowie, and the
Red
Hot Chili Peppers.
The venue also continues to be made available for film use,
such as arena interior shots used in the
2002
film
Like
Mike. Rock band
Foo
Fighters also used the building in the video for the song
"All
My Life" in
2003, prominently
featuring the outside architecture and name of the building in the opening and
closing shots.
In 2003,
Great
Western's naming rights contract on the building expired, and Forum
Enterprises reverted the venue's official name to the original "The Forum".
Despite this, and despite the fact that Great Western had in 1997 ceased to
exist as a separate entity, the Great Western corporate
logo and the
letters forming the words GREAT WESTERN initially remained on the
building's exterior. Great Western's exterior lettering was finally removed
from the building in 2006.
The departure of the building's major sports teams has
significantly lowered The Forum's profile, especially outside of the Los
Angeles area. As a result, the "Great Western Forum" name is still frequently
heard, as many people remain unaware that the original name has been restored.
]
Reference
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