The Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum is part of the Will Rogers Memorial Center, which also includes the Will Rogers Auditorium and Pioneer Tower. Naturally, rodeos are held here; so are boxing matches, hockey games, motorcycle races, high school graduations, religious revivals, horse shows, circuses and more.

The interior of the coliseum is a surprising work of art. Art deco ceiling paintings, sunburst-form aluminum balustrades, glass-block windows, frosted glass light fixtures, rows of square fluted columns and piers, terrazzo floors, and plaques featuring agricultural and rodeo motifs adorn the lobby. The arena is more utilitarian. Designer Herbert M. Hinckley was mocked when he first proposed the coliseum. Experts considered its domed roof an impossibility in 1936. Still, Hinckley pressed on, driven by patron satisfaction and local culture. He knew that a roof without interior support columns would provide an unobstructed view from every seat in the house, and greater elevation between rows of seats would provide room for spectators to wear their 10-gallon hats without obstructing the view of those seated behind them. -- Allison Hatfield