The 105,000-square-foot (9,800 m2) auditorium was originally built for Philadelphia's 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition, and transported in 1928 to Starlight Park at 177th Street and Devoe Avenue.

The 16,800-seat[1] edifice was used for circuses, boxing, political rallies, opera, and midget auto racing.

The Coliseum hosted the defunct Eastern Hockey League's Bronx Tigers franchise for two seasons, 1933–34, and 1937–38.

In late 1939, it was the home of the New York Giants of the short-lived National Professional Indoor Baseball League.

The United States Army controlled the building from 1942 through 1946, after which it was used by New York City Transit Authority buses as the Coliseum Depot.