ABSTRACT
Los Angeles was the only bidder for the 1932 Summer Games. The city already had a potential main stadium and other sporting facilities, and only needed a new large aquatic stadium. There was also to be an Olympic Village of several hundred buildings that became the model for all subsequent Games.
Completed in 1923, the city’s Memorial Coliseum was commissioned as a tribute to local First World War veterans. Its original spectator capacity was 75,000 seated on terraced earth berms, with influences from Classical architecture clearly visible. For the 1932 Games, father and son architects John B. Parkinson and Donald D. Parkinson designed an additional tier of seating with in situ concrete framing and added a central torch structure. Final official spectator capacity was 101,574.
Since the 1932 Games the stadium has also hosted the 1984 Summer Games and is due to host athletic events at the 2028 Games. It also survived the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. It has been less successful as a venue for American football and baseball, mainly down to its size.
