The Alexander Coliseum opened in 1956 at the intersection of 10th Street and Fowler on the northeast end of the Georgia Tech campus. The building was named for William A. Alexander, Georgia Tech's football coach from 1920 to 1944 and the third athletic director (after John W. Heisman); his tenure as coach included the 1928 Rose Bowl team (the 1928 season, the Rose Bowl itself was played on January 1, 1929). The huge dome was constructed by Calvert Iron Works, Co., a local Atlanta company that built many Atlanta landmarks. It was designed and built without any support pillars to obstruct the view of any fans during games. It served as a replacement for the Third Street Gymnasium (later known as the Heisman Gym) on the campus of Georgia Tech, an 1,800 seat arena opened just 18 years before. The arena's original capacity was 6,996 seats, though crowds larger than that sometimes assembled for big games.