Lost venues in California
40 former venues documented so far, across 26 cities. Mostly motorsports, football, baseball.
40 venues
View on map →Olympic Velodrome (Carson)
The Olympic Velodrome at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, California, opened in 1982 and hosted track cycling at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It was demolished in 2003 for the Home Depot Center.
Ontario Motor Speedway
A 2.5-mile oval built in the image of Indianapolis that operated in Ontario, California from 1970 to 1980 before financial failure led to its sale to Chevron and demolition for the Ontario Center development.
Orange County International Raceway
Orange County International Raceway in Irvine, California, was a drag strip and road course complex that opened on August 5, 1967, and closed on October 30, 1983. The Bob Bondurant driving school was founded there in 1968.
Pan-Pacific Auditorium
The Streamline Moderne Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles hosted minor-league hockey and USC basketball. It closed in 1972 and burned in 1989; the site is now Pan Pacific Park.
Papoose Peak Olympic Jumping Hill
The Papoose Peak jumps at Squaw Valley (now Palisades Tahoe), California, were the ski jumping hills of the 1960 Winter Olympics. They fell out of use after 1976 and were demolished for a chairlift.
Paramount Ranch Racetrack
Paramount Ranch Racetrack was a 2-mile road course on a movie ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains used in 1956 and 1957. Fatal crashes at its last meet ended racing there.
Polar Palace
The Polar Palace in Hollywood was an ice rink used by UCLA and USC hockey in the 1930s. It burned on May 16, 1963, and was not rebuilt.
Riverside International Raceway
A Southern California road circuit that from 1957 to 1989 hosted NASCAR, Can-Am, Trans-Am, IMSA and a 1960 Formula One Grand Prix before being replaced by the Moreno Valley Mall and surrounding development.
San Diego Stadium
San Diego Stadium, later Jack Murphy, Qualcomm and SDCCU Stadium, was a Mission Valley multi-purpose stadium. It was home to the Chargers, the Padres and San Diego State football for decades.
Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink
The outdoor 400-meter speed skating oval at Squaw Valley, California, was a temporary venue built for the 1960 Winter Olympics. Its site has since been redeveloped for parking and a residential-retail complex.
Stagg Memorial Stadium
Pacific Memorial Stadium, later Stagg Memorial, was the University of the Pacific's football stadium from 1950 until the program ended in 1995. It was closed in 2012 and removed starting in 2014.
Tanforan Racetrack
A San Bruno Thoroughbred track that raced from 1899 to 1963, served as a Japanese American assembly center in 1942, and burned in 1964 before the land became The Shops at Tanforan.
The Forum
The Forum in Inglewood was home to the Lakers and Kings from 1967 to 1999. The building still stands and operates as the Kia Forum, a concert and events arena.
Tournament Park
Tournament Park in Pasadena hosted the first Rose Bowl Game in 1902 and the games of 1916-1922 before the Rose Bowl stadium opened. The site is now Caltech's track and field venue.
Westgate Park
Westgate Park was the Pacific Coast League Padres' privately built ballpark in Mission Valley from 1958 to 1967. It was razed and Fashion Valley mall now covers the site.
Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)
Built by William Wrigley Jr. in 1925 for the Pacific Coast League Angels, Los Angeles's Wrigley Field later housed the American League Angels for one season in 1961 and was demolished in 1969.