Close-up view of the ice floor installation, 1939.
He became the president of the Indianapolis Coliseum Corporation, and leased the venue from the Indiana State Board of Agriculture for 10 years beginning in June, 1939. He booked ice shows (“glamorous girls and dazzling costumes”), sporting events and other big activities, and managed the facility year-round. He brought in Olympic figure skating gold medalist and feature film star Sonja Henie to perform numerous times, and he introduced professional ice hockey to the city with the formation of the Indianapolis Capitals. The corporation had exclusive rights over the Coliseum between Oct. 1 and May 1 each year, putting the facility entirely under Wirtz’s control.
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