L.A. Coliseum Is Back on Solid Ground

The Olympic Torch was relit atop the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, marking the rededication of the venerable stadium after a $60-million repair that has become a symbol of the city’s recovery effort after the Jan. 17 earthquake.

A long, spectacular fuse touched off by the mayor, the chairwoman of the County Board of Supervisors, the chief of the federal disaster agency and other officials, all holding small torches, sent tiny explosions cascading toward the peristyle and up to the torch, which overlooks the only stadium to serve as the main venue for two modern Olympic Games.

Workers, who during Thursday’s rededication ceremony continued to toil high above the crowd, connecting the huge new video screen and the scoreboard, cheered as the gigantic torch--like so many other parts of the stadium torn askew by the Northridge earthquake--burst into flame.

“Today, the . . . Coliseum is officially open for business,” said Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, president of the Coliseum Commission and chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors. “It is the only outdoor sporting venue in Southern California that meets current seismic safety codes. That means when you come to cheer the Raiders, you won’t have to worry about the (quake magnitude) scales.”

Actually, the first football game will be a college contest, scheduled for Saturday at noon between USC and Washington. The Raiders open their home season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 11.

There were many speeches Thursday and lots of politics--a letter from President Clinton, a videotaped appearance by Gov. Pete Wilson, and a personal appearance and speech by Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose reelection bid may have been given a small boost by friendly remarks about her by Los Angeles’ Republican mayor, Richard Riordan.

Riordan also presented a special award to Don C. Webb, the project director who began working on the repair the day of the earthquake, long before he was formally authorized to do so. Kind words were offered for Ron Tutor as well, head of Tutor-Saliba, the prime contractor who pushed his work force to finish the repair out of loyalty to USC, his alma mater.

Gratitude, too, was expressed to the federal government, which has put up 90% of the repair money, and the state government, which has promised to pay the remaining 10%. Federal and state officials on many occasions supported the repair project, even when repair cost estimates nearly doubled from $33 million to $60 million.

But the main star of the show was the 71-year-old stadium itself, looking nearly brand-new and in the eyes of most of the rededication crowd of hundreds of people, better than it has in many years.

After a massive repair conducted by workers laboring around the clock for six months, the Coliseum literally sparkled Thursday.

Its peristyle, just two weeks ago the scene of huge drills and massive cement trucks, appeared in impeccable shape, its travertine tiles back in place, and the new video screen and separate scoreboard representing a considerable improvement.

Virtually all the seats were in place, 10,000 cracks were sealed and new seismic reinforcements--piles driven 90 feet into the earth and 56 reinforcing A-beams with more concrete than 15 freeway overpasses--were complete.

It will take the peripheral landscaping some time to fully take hold, but the plants are there, and the stadium’s exterior is no longer bare and torn up.

Even the remainder of the partially demolished press box seemed to fit the renovated stadium. An area of temporary seating for the press, covered by a tent, was ready for Saturday’s game. A new press box is due to be constructed after the football season.

Thursday’s ceremony was followed by an unusually warm statement from the Raiders, whose officials often have been at odds with the Coliseum Commission over terms for playing in the facility. The team will play rent-free this year while negotiating for further stadium improvements, such as luxury boxes, in the coming months.

“The entire Raider organization certainly recognizes the tremendous accomplishments of Don Webb, Supervisor Burke, Ron Tutor and so many others,” said team attorney and spokeswoman Amy Trask. “We hope all Southern California comes out and sees an outstanding Raider team play a season of exciting Raider football.”

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett, speaking for the other primary Coliseum tenant, expressed optimism for USC’s football fortunes this fall, and confidence that the school would break its long losing streak to Notre Dame in its final Coliseum appearance of the year.

“Ron Tutor’s a magician, an absolute magician,” Garrett added.

James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, read the letter from Clinton.

“The rededication of the Coliseum represents one of the crowning achievements of the recovery effort,” the President wrote. “This arena, home of two Olympiads and countless other thrilling events, has always embodied the finest attributes of the Los Angeles spirit.

“Today, the Coliseum stands as a symbol of renewal, reminding all of us that destruction and discouragement can give way to growth and hope for a better future. Each of you who has worked to restore this glorious structure can be proud of your contributions to the recovery of your great city.”

In his videotaped message, Wilson paid tribute to the “many months of hard work” that allowed the doors of the stadium to be opened in time for the football season.

“And as those doors do open, the L.A. Coliseum will welcome a new generation of citizens into its friendly confines,” Wilson said.

Feinstein noted that “like the many sports victories here, today’s rededication marks the triumph of determination and courageous effort.” But the former San Francisco mayor could not resist mentioning her hometown’s pro football team, the 49ers, which, she said, had played many outstanding teams in the Coliseum.

Finally, Riordan declared: “The rebuilding of the Coliseum is a welcome reminder of the continuous revitalization of our city. The hundreds of workers responsible for this project have truly returned a symbol of hope back to the great citizens of Los Angeles.”

* COLISEUM REPAIRS

What was damaged in the historic structure and how it was fixed or replaced. B2