FACTS: The second
incarnation of the Sportatorium (rebuilt in 1953 after the original was
torched by an arsonist) was the site of the famous Big D Jamboree
country/rockabilly music series, and was the legendary home of pro wrestling
in Dallas until 1998.
STATUS: Demolished in 2003 after changes in the pro wrestling
industry, changes in building codes and a fire in its upstairs offices
rendered the venue unusable. The former Sportatorium site [above,
photographed in April 2006], located at Industrial Boulevard and Cadiz Street, is now simply a grassy vacant lot
where nothing remains of "the most famous wrestling arena in
the world."
