Olympia Stadium

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Facts

• The arena was home to the Detroit Red Wings from 1927 to 1979, and home to the Detroit Pistons from 1957 to 1961.
• The Olympia was the predecessor of the Joe Louis Arena. The Detroit Red Wings left the arena in 1979 leaving it with no major tenant.
• The arena could seat 16,700 persons for a hockey game with standing space for a further 3,300.
• The structure included thirteen storefronts at the front of the arena along Grand River Avenue.
• The building was built in the Romanesque-Revival style, and is a steel and reinforced concrete structure faced in dark red brick, and trimmed in brown terra cotta and stone.
• The arena underwent a major expansion in 1965 adding a 236'-9" long, 81'-10" wide addition to the east end of the structure, boosting the capacity by 1,800 seats at a cost of $2 million.