After more than a year of construction, the arena was dedicated on December 3, 1954, in a program headlined by Metropolitan Opera soprano Patrice Munsel, a Spokane native.

[2][7][8] The largest crowds in its early years were for a Catholic Mass and stage shows by Lawrence Welk and Liberace, respectively.

[8] It was host to a number of teams, including the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

[13] One factor that led to the idea included several damages to the arena which had a leaking roof and rusted boilers.

[13] Another major issue was the size of Spokane Coliseum, which had then recently lost potential bookings from ZZ Top and New Kids on the Block due to its small size; Spokane was losing concert dates to larger venues in Pullman and Boise.