06/03/2026
2026 IS THE 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF U.S. TAEKWONDO CENTER. HISTORY IS MORE THAN DATES AND FACTS – IT’S THE STORY OF HOW WE GOT HERE. JOIN US AS WE SHARE ABOUT THE PAST, FASCINATING MOMENTS, INFLUENTIAL FIGURES, AND FORGOTTEN STORIES FROM THE PAST.
THE BIRTH OF 1ST EVER U.S. TAEKWONDO CENTER - CITADEL 1316 N. Academy Blvd.
Many of Grandmaster Sang Lee’s first students from the Binghamton, NY school are now renowned in their own various fields, a tribute to the tenets of Taekwondo and teachings of Grandmaster Lee. Other students became leaders in Taekwondo.
Three of these original students were the driving force behind the establishment of the first U.S. Taekwondo Center in 1986.
Master Michael Weintraub was the first on the scene. Having been selected as Executive Director of the U.S. Taekwondo Union, also known as USTU (the USTU was the national governing body of Sport Taekwondo and is now called USA Taekwondo or USAT), he came to Colorado Springs early on to coordinate with the U.S. Olympic Committee to setup the office for the USTU.
Master Weintraub was tasked by Grandmaster Lee with finding a suitable location for a Dojang. The Dojang would serve a dual purpose: It would bring the art and sport of Taekwondo to the citizens of Colorado Springs, but it would also become the defacto training center for the future U.S. Olympic Taekwondo Team. Although Taekwondo was set to debut as an Olympic Sport in 1988, there was no real training facility located at the Olympic Training Center at that time. For this reason it had to be a world class facility.
Grandmaster Lee had only 3 requirements. First, the facility had to be centrally located. Second, it had to be big enough to house several training areas and a weight room. And lastly it had to be close to a McDonald’s restaurant. Its proximity to a McDonald’s had nothing to do with a fondness for two all-beef patties and special sauce, but a business decision. Grandmaster Lee viewed McDonald’s as one of America’s great success stories and reasoned that the profiles and demographics that McDonald’s looked for when opening a restaurant were the same as his.
Master Weintraub spent many days driving around Colorado Springs and came upon a building in a booming section of Colorado Springs that was for sale and met the three requirements. He contacted the realtor and then contacted Grandmaster Lee. Grandmaster Lee immediately liked the property. The building known as the Citadel Dojang housed a dentist office and another small business.
Grandmaster Lee sold everything he had in Binghamton and was able to make a down payment on the building and convinced the owners to carry the mortgage. It should be noted that this negotiation was carried out by a man with very little credit history and spoke English only as a second language. His powers of persuasion are formidable and his ability to instill trust was more than apparent. This was only the first step, now he needed money to convert the structure into a world class Taekwondo Dojang.
He calculated that he would need about $250,000 (today’s equivalent of almost $1,000,000) to complete the work that he envisioned. The financial backing was provided by a prominent New York surgeon by the name of Dr. Samuel P. Pejo. Dr. Pejo is the father of three more of Grandmaster Lee’s Binghamton students by the names of Michael, Sammy, and May Pejo. Dr. Pejo had such great confidence in Grandmaster Lee that the investment decision was an easy one. He co-signed a loan that allowed construction to begin. Without Dr. Pejo’s support the U.S. Taekwondo Center could not have been born in Colorado Springs, CO.
Master Steven Silz was the next of the Binghamton students to take the plunge. He loaded his belongings into a beat up Honda Civic and began the 1,500 mile drive to Colorado Springs. He was responsible for converting an office building into a world class training facility and dealing with the numerous government agencies that would regulate his work. Grandmaster Lee gave Master Silz the $250,000 without any conditions. Grandmaster Lee gave Master Silz his complete trust and confidence to complete this project. That was the kind of relationship that Grandmaster Lee had with Master Silz. A true Taekwondo relationship between Sabumnim and Student. It was a daunting task that Master Silz completed successfully with honor.
The tenets of Taekwondo were valuable tools to assist him. With Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, and Indomitable Spirit he accomplished what he set out to do. Anyone that has ever had to work with a government regulatory agency and a construction team at the same time requires all of those traits.
By now Grandmaster Lee’s plate was overflowing, and he needed more help. He enlisted the help of Master David Martin to be his executive assistant. He is the third of the “tremendous trio” to come from Binghamton. Not only was he assistant to Grandmaster Lee but he took classes, taught classes, trained and competed. He later became an Assistant Coach at the Olympic Training Center, a Gold Medalist at the US Olympic Festival and an ESPN analyst.
Construction on the first USTC dojang was completed and the grand opening occurred on June 7, 1986 at 1316 N. Academy Blvd. In 1986, this area of town was the center of Colorado Springs and the school was initially named the “Central Dojang”. It served as the original world headquarters of the U.S. Taekwondo Center. As the city has grown, its center has shifted so the school was later called the Citadel Dojang.
Grandmaster Lee’s vision of a world class training center was complete. It contained several training rooms, male and female locker rooms, saunas, weight lifting machines and free weights, as well as a whirlpool/Jacuzzi to soothe sore muscles. It was an immediate success. Hundreds of new students enrolled. U.S. Olympic athletes often trained along side everyday students.
Due to changing demographics of the city of Colorado Springs, Grandmaster Lee sold the original U.S. Taekwondo Center. The original neon lit kicking figure Hank was refurbished with LED lighting and is currently on the East side of the Monument Dojang.
We will be celebrating the 40-year anniversary on Saturday June 6, 2026. All USTC students should register here:
www.ustcbreakathon.com
We will finish the day with dinner at the Viewhouse. Purchase your tickets below in this rare opportunity to meet Grandmaster Lee and many former National and Olympic Team members. Meet the past, present, and future together in one place!
https://sparkpages.io/?i=_iEEb
