After an 18-month, $180 million restoration, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum reopened in April 2017 with a concert by Billy Joel. When set up for basketball, MMA, and boxing, the Coliseum has 14,500 seats; when set up for hockey, it has 13,900; when set up for concerts, it can hold up to 16,000. When set up for theatre, it has 4,500 seats.
The exterior of the facility is designed to resemble the beach dunes, dune fence, decks, and boardwalks that are so characteristic of Long Island. Long Island was the birthplace of the aircraft industry, hence the exterior is covered in aluminum fins.
A new glass storefront on the exterior lets in light and brightens up the refurbished concourse; the main entrance has been rethought; there is brand new seating; the flow of fans in the bowl has been streamlined; and the restrooms and snack stands have been updated. The venue has expanded high-definition LED boards, updated phone coverage for all major cellular carriers, and free high-speed Wi-Fi for fans.
Waterless urinals, LED lighting, and new thermally efficient windows and doors are just a few of the sustainability features installed. Nassau Coliseum is equipped to host large-scale festivals that spill out into the surrounding area, thanks to its expansive 77-acre grounds. Both the Long Island Nets and the New York Riptide call Nassau Coliseum their official arena.
Mitchel Field, a former Army airfield and later Air Force base, is where the coliseum is located, covering 63 acres. Uniondale 11553 is the zip code of the location in Hempstead Town. The Coliseum hosts a wide variety of events, including concerts, huge exhibits, and trade shows, in its main arena (44,000 square feet) and Expo Centre (60,000 square feet). The arena was closed in 2015 for a massive refurbishment that was finally finished in April 2017.
Before moving to the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn in 2015, the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) called the Coliseum home from 1972 to 2015. Since the move did not generate enough revenue, the team has played its home games at both Barclays and the remodeled Coliseum from 2018 to 2020 and will play all of its home games for the 2020-21 season at the Coliseum before moving to the new UBS Arena at Belmont Park, also on Hempstead Turnpike but 7.7 miles west of the Coliseum.
From 1972 to 1977, it was also the arena for the New York Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA Developmental League's Long Island Nets of the Brooklyn Nets now call this arena their home as of the 2017–18 season. At present, the building is home to the NBA's New York Nets and the National Lacrosse League's New York Riptide.
Mitchel Athletic Complex
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