Since the Coliseum was built prior to March 8 , 1946 , it was not required to have panic bars installed per the city 's Egress Law . A " retroactive clause " was originally in the law but was removed in 1948 due to the high cost to retrofit such equipment . The law was passed by Congress following the Coconut Grove night club fire that killed 491 people on November 28 , 1942 . For the Washington Coliseum , because the Fire Inspector had not witnessed the locked doors during the concert , no court action could be taken by the Fire Department but a warning would be issued
Coconut Grove night club fire
Cocoanut Grove fire
Uline Arena