Hoosiers say goodbye to Pepsi Coliseum, before it closed for renovations

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Saturday was the final time Hoosiers could walk through the doors of the Pepsi Coliseum before it closes down for renovations.

“I think it will be beautiful, but it won't be as homey as it was,” says Mary Ann Christoff.

The Pepsi Coliseum was a home away from home for Mary Ann Christoff. The 76-year-old has spent more than half her life working at the arena.

“I was a single mother I had to raise two girls and it was something a place that was all family, we could bring our children with us in fact both of my girls started selling popcorn when they were old enough,” says Christoff.

The 73 year old State Fairground staple is closing its doors for the next two years. When it opens, while the outside will remain in tact, the inside will get a $63 million overhaul. The new makeover will make it an up to date concert venue as well as being a state of the art ice rink.

“I think its time you know its 60-70 years what is it I've lost track, all for it and I'm glad to see it happen and I'm glad they're going to have a sports venue for something this size, that's something the town needs,” says Jerry Van Vliet, a hockey fan.

Many of the people walking through the coliseum reminisced about the historic events that came to the arena, from former presidents like JFK to music icons like the Beatles. But for a lot of Hoosiers it's the personal memories that make the Pepsi Coliseum an integral part of their lives. “For years it was for her I showed cattle in this coliseum for years and years. I sat in these creepy seats in the corner that when I was a kid I always thought they were creepy because of the blacked out windows,” explains Nancy Burton, who had a childhood history at the coliseum.

The renovation project will last two years. The Pepsi Coliseum is expected to open its doors before the 2014 Indiana State Fair.