Plans for the Oakland Coliseum
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Construction of the new Coliseum, 1964

After $25 million in financing was arranged, construction on the new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum began in 1962. Plans were drawn for a stadium, an arena and an exhibition hall in between them. The final cost was about $30 million.

There were plans for professional football, baseball, hockey and basketball in the new sports complex. For a brief time, auto racing (in the parking lot!) was also considered as a possibility.

The proposed "racetrack" in the parking lot, 1962.

Looks like meteor craters?

Two huge craters were dug into the ground for the Coliseum and Arena. Construction went rapidly, and was finished in fall of 1966.