Designed by W. K. Noppe in 1966–67, with its simple geometric shape and distinctive ring of white panels, the building can be classified as formalist architecture.

The Coliseum underwent renovations and additions in the late 1970s, but its role as host of an NHL team and a main venue for events in Vancouver was lost with the construction and opening of General Motors Place (now Rogers Arena) in 1995.

The original centre-hung scoreclock was replaced during the 1985 renovations (this renovation work included seismic upgrades to the facility) by a new four-sided centre-hung scoreclock with colour matrix animation/matrix displays along with electronic message boards across the bottom on each side (the original sponsors for this clock were Imperial Tobacco and Molson Brewery), which in 2007 was replaced by a four-sided Daktronics scoreboard with a video display on each side.

Recent renovations were completed in 2007 to upgrade accessibility, seating, HVAC, and ice surface for its use as a venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In early 2023 the Pacific Coliseum retired its scoreclock, donating it to the Sunshine Coast Junior Hockey Society in Gibson, British Columbia.

The seating capacity for hockey has progressed as follows: The arena hosted the fourth game of the 1972 Summit Series on September 8, when the Soviet Union defeated Canada 5–3.

Its final NHL game was played May 27, 1995, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Canucks 4–3 to sweep them out of the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the second round.

The Coliseum would host a viewing of game 7, which the Canucks would lose by a goal, after Nathan LaFayette's potential tying shot went off the post.

In the same tournament, the Vancouver Giants won their first Memorial Cup championship, by defeating the WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers, 3–1.

This venue has hosted Muhammad Ali vs. George Chuvalo II on May 1, 1972, and Michael Spinks vs Oscar Rivadeneyra on November 25, 1983.

Led Zeppelin would go on to base several of their North American tour operations from Vancouver and the Pacific Coliseum in the early 1970s.

In 1972, The Rolling Stones opened their tour in support of their iconic album Exile On Main Street at the Pacific Coliseum.

[16] On June 22, 1973, and May 17, 1974, the Coliseum hosted the Grateful Dead in an iconic set of performances featured in their album of live concerts, 'Pacific Northwest '73 - '74: Believe It If You Need It.'

On November 2, 1974, George Harrison performed the first of a series of concerts that would form his infamous Dark Horse Tour.

David Bowie's performances, during his Serious Moonlight Tour, on September 11–12, 1983, were filmed and released, on VHS and LaserDisc, in 1984, and re-released, as a DVD, in 2006.

On April 30, 2022, Indian singer Babbu Maan became the first South Asian artist to sell out the Pacific Coliseum.

The television show A Million Little Things has used the arena to film scenes that are taking place in TD Garden.

On October 16, 1970, the anti-nuclear protest group Don't Make a Wave Committee held a concert at the Pacific Coliseum and managed to raise funds for a demonstration against nuclear testing by The United States.