So the Dome's Shelf Life is now under Review:

[reedny]

LTF makes a good point (the Dome isn't that old, comparatively). However, it was never that good looking to begin with. The industrial style was ok in the 80's. But today, it looks like it should have "CCCP" stencilled on the concrete. Since the weather's not getting better anytime soon, it should remain a domed (and on-campus) facility and upgraded. Here's what it needs to fit in (IMHO):

1- Brick 1/3 of the way up the entire dome exterior, and provide matching (stone or brick) arched gates at N/S/E/W outdoor points. This will improve the appearance and help the dome fit in better with surrounding academic buildings;

2- Add an open-air (glass, high volume) area where people can mill around, with SU memorabilia, etc... Right now, the Dome is cramped and claustrophobic; and

3- Relocate the main concessions. Currently, they clog traffic flow and offer too few alternatives.

The rest (interior painting/video boards/ribbons, etc..) can be addressed piecemeal.

 

[ithacat]

The Dome does seem to belong to the family of the Vet, 3 Rivers, Riverfront, Busch, etc, those built to be thrown away.

It's an interesting story. What would a new Dome look like, cost, and achieve? Is there any chance it could go downhill towards downtown? What would a massive renovation of the existing Dome, if structurally it could support one, look like, cost, and achieve? Could a complete makeover qualify as a "new" structure free of any Carrier obligation?

 

[Orangepace]

Few things.. we all know that in order to finance such a structure, there is going to have to be a heavy amount of support. That support won't be generated if the team isn't winning. If the team wins in the ACC, the fans will show up. If the fans start showing up, the community support will follow. Building a new stadium will never be possible without a great deal of community support, so I think we can throw the attendance argument out the door. Without consistently winning, a new stadium will never get erected..

I personally think the idea of building a new stadium with a retractable roof would be "really cool" to recruits. It'd be the first of its kind in college football and could, potentially, be the tool which pushes us over the hump from a consistent 8-4 type team to a consistent 9-10 win team, with the occasional chance at a National Championship. The real crux in the matter is getting to be a consistent 8-4 team. Otherwise, this is never going to get accomplished..

Too bad the market didn't hold out an extra 2 years back in 2006-2007... This entire argument would be for naught.

 

[upperdeck]

you can replace the roof, you could always support it with something outside the existing supports. you could also move seating on the sides and add more boxes if there was a real need. the only thing stopping change is money

 

[rocklloyd]

We're having a hard time scraping together $20m for an IPF. I don't see a new stadium in the cards. Reface it with brick as someone mentioned. Wider then concourses along the long side of the field at next roof replacement. Put stadium seats in. See what happens. Maybe 37,000 people who want to be there can be as loud as 49k with 20k fair weathers.

 

[CU44SE]

Its not that the dome is too old or falling apart but rather the University wants the land the dome is located on for academic buildings. Its been mentioned on this board plenty of times. It really has nothing to do with the dome itself, but people in the know have said that there will be a new dome in the next 5-10 years on south campus. It has also been speculated that their will be a retractable roof, which Gross basically confirmed in one of the articles. A neat concept would be a basketball games early in the year with the roof open (just an idea). But the greatest thing, I assume would be the improved basketball environment. After 30 years of watching basketball be played in a dome, people can now develop better settings for basketball. I can only anticipate the same massive crowds, but also better sight lines and somehow getting fans closer to the court. Another great thing about this would be a major parking lot outside of the venue, where thousands of people could tailgate. Currently space for tailgating is very difficult to find near the dome, and this would not be an issue on south campus.

 

[SWC75]

Archbold Stadium was as revolutionary in it's time and was built in 1908. It was unremarkable by the 30's but useable through the 50's. It should have been replaced after we won the national champion ship and interest was high, (that's when Penn State replaced Beaver Field with Beaver Stadium), but we held onto it through the 70's, by which time it was a rock pile. I'd say the Carrier Dome has another generation in it. Hopefully the economy will be better then. The Dome cost $26 million and it's replacement will cost many times that.

 

[OrangePA]

The Dome does seem to belong to the family of the Vet, 3 Rivers, Riverfront, Busch, etc, those built to be thrown away.

It's an interesting story. What would a new Dome look like, cost, and achieve? Is there any chance it could go downhill towards downtown? What would a massive renovation of the existing Dome, if structurally it could support one, look like, cost, and achieve? Could a complete makeover qualify as a "new" structure free of any Carrier obligation?

No.

The Dome is nothing like the cookie cutter multipurpose stadiums your post mentions.

Those venues offerred poor sightlines for both football and baseball.

The best football seats in the Vet were behind the endzones.

The Dome has the best sight lines for football I have ever seen.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

We're having a hard time scraping together $20m for an IPF. I don't see a new stadium in the cards. Reface it with brick as someo?ne mentioned. Wider then concourses along the long side of the field at next roof replacement. Put stadium seats in. See what happens. Maybe 37,000 people who want to be there can be as loud as 49k with 20k fair weathers.

A roof replacement takes 3 months from May to August (because that's how long it took to perform the last roof replacement).

How do you "widen the concourses" without knocking down and rebuilding the Dome's exterior walls. And how do you do this in 3 months?

Or are you planning on moving an entire season's worth of games to MetLife?

And you better find a home for both basketball teams while you're at it ... because you won't be finished in 4 months either.

 

[SUinNYC]

Archbold Stadium was as revolutionary in it's time and was built in 1908. It was unremarkable by the 30's but useable through the 50's. It should have been replaced after we won the national champion ship and interest was high, (that's when Penn State replaced Beaver Field with Beaver Stadium), but we held onto it through the 70's, by which time it was a rock pile. I'd say the Carrier Dome has another generation in it. Hopefully the economy will be better then. The Dome cost $26 million and it's replacement will cost many times that.

$26 million??? Some Alabama players are paid more than that!

 

[OrangePA]

Archbold Stadium was as revolutionary in it's time and was built in 1908. It was unremarkable by the 30's but useable through the 50's. It should have been replaced after we won the national champion ship and interest was high, (that's when Penn State replaced Beaver Field with Beaver Stadium), but we held onto it through the 70's, by which time it was a rock pile. I'd say the Carrier Dome has another generation in it. Hopefully the economy will be better then. The Dome cost $26 million and it's replacement will cost many times that.

Archbold was renovated in the mid 1950s.

It was expanded to 41,000 seats.

 

[rocklloyd]

A roof replacement takes 3 months from May to August (because that's how long it took to perform the last roof replacement).

How do you "widen the concourses" without knocking down and rebuilding the Dome's exterior walls. And how do you do this in 3 months?

Or are you planning on moving an entire season's worth of games to MetLife?

And you better find a home for both basketball teams while you're at it ... because you won't be finished in 4 months either.

None of it will happen. But you could pre build most of the walls in preparation for the new roof. It's possible. Again, not realistic but possible. We're not spending a quarter of a billion on a new facility. No way, no how.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Archbold was renovated in the mid 1950s.

It was expanded to 41,000 seats.

When I first walked pass Archbold, my initial reaction was, "Why is there a prison on campus?"

Because, from the outside, that's what it looked like.

 

[ithacat]

No.

The Dome is nothing like the cookie cutter multipurpose stadiums your post mentions.

Those venues offer poor sightlines for footbsll and baseball.

The best football seats in the Vet were behind thecendzones.

The Dome has the best sight lines for football I have ever seen.

None of these had anything to do with sight lines. They had everything to do with inexpensive & utilitarian.

 

[gilardino]

bush league, get rid of the dome for hoops would be awful, but r fan base is delisional they will like it

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

The Dome is fine. The school needs to just get some ing ipod docks for the lockers. Works for Oregon.

 

[BayonneOrange]

All that I ask is that they replace the benches with stadium seating.

I'm sick of getting squeezed out of my seat because some fat guy 10 people down can fit into the 13 inch spot allocated to his seat.

I can't see them ever putting stadium seating in - it would eliminate too many seats and creat a huge problem for season ticket holders. It might be easier getting the fat guys to stop eating donuts.

Why don't you say something to those fat guys? Too bad they push you around and squeeze you out of your seat. Grow some and say something, tough guy. Another with his internet muscles on.

 

[retro44]

A roof replacement takes 3 months from May to August (because that's how long it took to perform the last roof replacement).

How do you "widen the concourses" without knocking down and rebuilding the Dome's exterior walls. And how do you do this in 3 months?

Or are you planning on moving an entire season's worth of games to MetLife?

And you better find a home for both basketball teams while you're at it ... because you won't be finished in 4 months either.

why do you think the ACC press conference was in NYC and all those photo ops

 

[longtimefan]

GT's basketball arena is brand new. Last season was the first year of the new arena. Capacity is 8.6k, so smaller even than the ones you listed.

GT's basketball arena was built in 1958. It was most recently renovated in 2011, and reopened for the '12-'13 season.

 

[OrangePA]

When I first walked pass Archbold, my initial reaction was, "Why is there a prison on campus?"

Because, from the outside, that's what it looked like.

Wow.

I didn't think so.

I loved the look of Archbold at least from Irving or the Quad.

 

[OrangePA]

None of these had anythiluxurious.

with sight lines. They had everything to do with inexpensive & utilitarian.

Just no comparison.

The Vet was massive and for its time pretty luxurious.

Really nothing like the Dome.

 

[SWC75]

Archbold was renovated in the mid 1950s.

It was expanded to 41,000 seats.

By the time I was there in the early 70's the capacity was 19,000 because the fire department had roped off the unsafe parts of it as an alternative to condemning the whole place.

 

[Czar]

are you positive...my father did the plumbing when it was built and I worked there in the late 80's. I've been told by numerous people that there is pilings all ready in place to allow expansion if needs to be.

the roof was replaced a few years back and I worked around the guy who died in a fall from the roof on previous jobs. Didn't really know him though,but the roof is Teflon and cables and is very easily expandable

The roof is replaceable yeah. I was talking more in a replacing it with a retractable roof aspect, which has been bandied about.

 

[Jeepers]

Old discussion, but I'll jump in. Personally, I'd paint all the floors (easier than the benches) orange and call it a day. Then, in a minimum of 10 years, I'd start talking new stadium.

Put the new stadium in South Campus. Maybe partner with Drumlins (who owns that?) and create a really nice wooded park/parking area for tailgating.

My priority would be that it's attractive. Has stellar (potential) for tailgating. And has the best and most unique conversion from football to basketball seating (moveable seating from all directions?) in the country.

 

[DownTheField]

The Dome is a weird place in that it is like a basketball stadium for football and a football stadium for basketball.

It's kind of like the Cameron Indoor stadium of football. It only holds about 49k but every seat is right on top of the field and when it gets loud, it is LOUD.

Conversely, for basketball, not many seats are very good and while it isn't as loud as other basketball stadia, it is amazing because of the sheer numbers that fit in there. Kind of like Beaver Stadium.

That being said, I absolutely love The Dome. While I wish it had some nicer amenities and wider concourses, there is no better place to watch a football game than between the 30's in the 300 level, and there is nothing like a big basketball game with 33,000+ fans.