Pacific Coliseum

Mid-century/brutalist buildings

Built in 1967 on the grounds of Exhibition Park – home to Hastings Racetrack, Playland and the Pacific National Exhibition – the Pacific Coliseum is an exercise in Brutalist minimalism; a simple circular building boasting a ring of convex concrete panels and warm natural stone at its entry ways.  Inside it’s large and open and the entire structure is quite impressive.

The building seats around 16,000 and was home to Vancouver’s National Hockey League team, the Canucks. Big concerts and events were also held at the Coliseum over the years but in 1995 when a larger venue opened downtown the concerts and the Canucks relocated.

The building hosted several events during the 2010 Winter Olympics after a major renovation, and in 2013 the City of Vancouver declared it a Heritage Site. The Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants currently call the Pacific Coliseum home, helping to keep the mid-century landmark relevant.

The building’s architect, W.K. Noppe, was also responsible for the design of the PNE ground’s modernist arena, The Agrodome, circa, 1963, located adjacent to this site.