Stadium Facts

[xc84]

Dome is perfectly fine for football and sucks for basketball. The next stadium project should be a 25K basketball arena downtown with all the bells and whistles. I'll forgo the once or twice a year 33K+ crowds for club seats and psls. There's more money to be made there. The Yum! Center has probably paid for itself already. Making it 25K maximum attendance will also net you 2-3K more in season tickets. Game tickets will be hard to come by and we'll get the no.1 annual average attendance back from Kentucky. Getting the crowd closer to the action will make the game more fun for fans and tougher on opponents (I know, know...longest home win streak in the country...but still).

Where to start. People don't come to the dome to see the dome. They come to see winning teams. That's exactly why basketball is such a great draw despite what you say about how it "sucks" for basketball. Downtown is almost as bad as the fairgrounds. Yum Center was financed and is not owned by the university. It loses money, is in debt and that debt is really taxpayer debt. Lastly, got any extra Georgetown game tickets. I am sure that there will be plenty.

 

[All4SU]

Archbold lasted for 70 years. The Dome with be 33 years old this fall. I suspect it will be replaced before 70 years but not before 50.

That sounds about right.

 

[ClkWrkOrange]

I have a hard time believing that there is a case to be made for freeing up that space for the cost it will take to replace with equal capabilities.

If the Dome goes away, it will be replaced by a Rent/UCF comparable 42K open air facility and a 15k basketball areana.

Whoop de damn do.

If it's open air,I hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime.We've been there.It sucked.

 

[CuseOnly]

That sounds about right.

There was an article written by the PS about the Carrier Dome and how long it will last. The basic gist of the article was that it will basically last as long as the University wants it to. They maintain the structure really meticulously and look at every inch of it at least once a year with about 20 engineers to evaluate it.

It was a great article and basically said that Sala could see the Dome lasting another 30 years easily.

 

[GoSU96]

No it wont.


Sent using my Commodore 64 on Tapatalk 5.3

Where's the money coming from?

 

[xc84]

Where's the money coming from?

For what? You think a new 15,000 seat indoor arena AND a new outdoor football stadium will come cheap?

It would be foolish to have an outdoor stadium.

 

[Chip]

another way to look at it is to look at all the schools with giant piles of money that play in ancient buildings.

if schools with so much money that they have to set some of it on fire don't think it's worth it...

I can't even keep track of how much money ND brings in each year, but they still force their fans to pay hundreds of $ per game to sit on old wooden bleachers, with amenities that made the 1940s look modern.

But our one of kind Domed stadium in the middle of campus, built in 1980 needs to be replaced immediately.

Maybe the rich get richer because they're smarter.

 

[Millhouse]

I can't even keep track of how much money ND brings in each year, but they still force their fans to pay hundreds of $ per game to sit on old wooden bleachers, with amenities that made the 1940s look modern.

But our one of kind Domed stadium in the middle of campus, built in 1980 needs to be replaced immediately.

Maybe the rich get richer because they're smarter.

if we're going to have to pay players indirectly through facilities, put the money where players spend their time. they don't spend time in the stands.

 

[kcsu]

The Dome is fine and it could be upgraded for a fraction of building a new stadium. We could add onto the Dome. It is also my understanding that contrary to what has been reported here we could go up and add a luxury section on one side. All of the seating could be replaced. etc... For way less than the cost of building a new football and basketball facility the Dome could be made new much in the way chicago opted to keep Soldier field. This is what should be done and most likely will be done. The Tailgate issue can be solved in other ways. It will never be perfect but to think that the university is going to make a decision to build a 300-500m facility off campus so that we can tailgate at 6 games a year is foolish. The Dome is a great facility. I have had the good fortune to attend games across the country and world and we have a great venue. There is nothing like walking onto the Quad on a great fall day after passing Lincoln on your way to ED and the Dome. Before or after the game you dont have to drive to be on campus and enjoy all that M street has to offer. Taking this off campus would kill any chance of getting the students back. Can you imagine a bball game in the middle of Feb during a cold winter day? The only place that might make any sense at all is skytop and that is a stretch. Sure having the dome on campus has its drawbacks but we are so fortunate to have one of the greatest stadiums smak dab in the middle of campus. I think our next move will be a soliders field type move

 

[FAL]

The Dome is fine and it could be upgraded for a fraction of building a new stadium. We could add onto the Dome. It is also my understanding that contrary to what has been reported here we could go up and add a luxury section on one side. All of the seating could be replaced. etc... For way less than the cost of building a new football and basketball facility the Dome could be made new much in the way chicago opted to keep Soldier field. This is what should be done and most likely will be done. The Tailgate issue can be solved in other ways. It will never be perfect but to think that the university is going to make a decision to build a 300-500m facility off campus so that we can tailgate at 6 games a year is foolish. The Dome is a great facility. I have had the good fortune to attend games across the country and world and we have a great venue. There is nothing like walking onto the Quad on a great fall day after passing Lincoln on your way to ED and the Dome. Before or after the game you dont have to drive to be on campus and enjoy all that M street has to offer. Taking this off campus would kill any chance of getting the students back. Can you imagine a bball game in the middle of Feb during a cold winter day? The only place that might make any sense at all is skytop and that is a stretch. Sure having the dome on campus has its drawbacks but we are so fortunate to have one of the greatest stadiums smak dab in the middle of campus. I think our next move will be a soliders field type move

Makes perfect sense and actually sounds logical and doable! THIS got my vote!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The Dome has an air-supported roof. Which means that the Dome has to be kept air tight.

So you might want to reconsider poking holes in all the Dome exterior walls with your expansion ideas.

 

[PhatOrange]

I wonder what the cost would be to blow out the west side of the Dome (below grade - at the locker room level) and really redo the locker rooms adding square footage and all the other admin stuff on that side of the building.

I believe the only real issue with the Dome at this point is the locker rooms; and maybe they could commandeer a suite or build another lounge in the second deck behind the east end zone for entertaining recruits instead of sticking them in the stands with the gen pop but everything else is fine and just window dressing.

 

[xc84]

Haha

The Dome has an air-supported roof. Which means that the Dome has to be kept air tight.

So you might want to reconsider poking holes in all the Dome exterior walls with your expansion ideas.

...no one suggested "poking holes" ...it will still be closed.

 

[Cheriehoop]

The one thought I always have when I go into the dome is I wish there was regular seating as opposed to the bleachers. In Godfather parlance... Leave the troughs, take out the bleachers. At least on the lower level.

I agree what's up with that? I guess people are really much wider than when the dome opened. Our row is constantly squished in. I keep thinking someone's sneaking into our row creating the mosh pit. Everytime I'm standing I'm hoping that it's my husband's lap I'll land on. I swear that while we're standing some people plan a strategic attack to make a silver aluminum land grab before people sit.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

I agree what's up with that? I guess people are really much wider than when the dome opened. Our row is constantly squished in. I keep thinking someone's sneaking into our row creating the mosh pit. Everytime I'm standing I'm hoping that it's my husband's lap I'll land on. I swear that while we're standing some people plan a strategic attack to make a silver aluminum land grab before people sit.

I agree what's up with that? I guess people are really much wider than when the dome opened. Our row is constantly squished in. I keep thinking someone's sneaking into our row creating the mosh pit. Everytime I'm standing I'm hoping that it's my husband's lap I'll land on. I swear that while we're standing some people plan a strategic attack to make a silver aluminum land grab before people sit.

I can't even keep track of how much money ND brings in each year, but they still force their fans to pay hundreds of $ per game to sit on old wooden bleachers, with amenities that made the 1940s look modern.

But our one of kind Domed stadium in the middle of campus, built in 1980 needs to be replaced immediately.

Maybe the rich get richer because they're smarter.

Well yeah. Of course the entire country is getting fatter. Explains the diabetes epidemic and the fascination with blubbery Kate Upton.

 

[OttoMets]

I can't even keep track of how much money ND brings in each year, but they still force their fans to pay hundreds of $ per game to sit on old wooden bleachers, with amenities that made the 1940s look modern.

But our one of kind Domed stadium in the middle of campus, built in 1980 needs to be replaced immediately.

Maybe the rich get richer because they're smarter.

Best post in the history of this subject.

 

[kcsu]

The dome can be upgraded. Concource can be made wider, we can go up, seats, extension on low side, there is much that can be done and for a fraction of the cost of rebuilding. We would have to give up a season and take our show on the road for both bball and football for a year. Not sure how we cover this

 

[OttoMets]

I wonder what the cost would be to blow out the west side of the Dome (below grade - at the locker room level) and really redo the locker rooms adding square footage and all the other admin stuff on that side of the building.

I believe the only real issue with the Dome at this point is the locker rooms; and maybe they could commandeer a suite or build another lounge in the second deck behind the east end zone for entertaining recruits instead of sticking them in the stands with the gen pop but everything else is fine and just window dressing.

No more than a hundred million (assuming they don't replace the roof or make any major structural changes to the current bowl).

Tough to do anything in the east end zone; the designers never made any accommodation for that (a little short-sighted, I think). They did just enough excavation to plunk down the removable stands, patched up the Archbold tunnel, and built up from there. The west end is where any addition (a cost-effective one, at least) would have to take place.

 

[OttoMets]

The dome can be upgraded. Concource can be made wider, we can go up, seats, extension on low side, there is much that can be done and for a fraction of the cost of rebuilding. We would have to give up a season and take our show on the road for both bball and football for a year. Not sure how we cover this

Going up would start to get expensive pretty quickly. On the other hand, the teams could probably play through the construction of an addition.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The dome can be upgraded. Concource can be made wider, we can go up, seats, extension on low side, there is much that can be done and for a fraction of the cost of rebuilding. We would have to give up a season and take our show on the road for both bball and football for a year. Not sure how we cover this

How do we "go up"? Are you planning on raising the roof?

Do you think they can get it done between mid-May to mid-August, or will the football team have to play at Nottingham for a couple of season?

 

[CU44SE]

I think people are getting away from the issue at hand. This isn't about building a new stadium because the Dome is old or outdated. This would be done to make room for Academic facilities that the administration wants to put where the Dome is. If that is indeed the case, renovations are obviously out of the question. You would have to build a new stadium somewhere else.

 

[kcsu]

No it wont.


Sent using my Commodore 64 on Tapatalk 5.3

I do not believe that the space value proposition is legit. Who has told you this as it is the first time i hearing this reasons

 

[Marsh01]

I can't even keep track of how much money ND brings in each year, but they still force their fans to pay hundreds of $ per game to sit on old wooden bleachers, with amenities that made the 1940s look modern.

But our one of kind Domed stadium in the middle of campus, built in 1980 needs to be replaced immediately.

Maybe the rich get richer because they're smarter.

True but having been there for a game they did a major remodeling job adding a whole upper level.

ND also has money coming out of their behinds and there is nothing to do in South Bend Indiana. The revenue from their bookstore alone could probably fund our new stadium.

 

[Chip]

True but having been there for a game they did a major remodeling job adding a whole upper level.

ND also has money coming out of their behinds and there is nothing to do in South Bend Indiana. The revenue from their bookstore alone could probably fund our new stadium.

Right, that was their main upgrade, along with lighting. It was completed 16 years ago, not sure if they've done anything since. And the only upgrade over existing, was that it was metal seats, instead of wood. They didn't use that opportunity to replace the wood seats. I love that stadium because it's as college football as it gets. But it's a dump. A wonderful dump. The town is also a dump. Not a wonderful dump either. A dumpy strip mall dump.

Our stadium is also nationally recognizable. There's something to be said for that. We've made some solid upgrades while maintaining everything cool about the place. Field turf, new video boards. I guess ribbon stuff too, although that's more for Ad $. The only thing I do wish we would do is to add some coloring to the concrete. Don't want to make the place an eyesore, but we could make that part a little less dreary dark gray.

As for the locker rooms, I don't know the answer there. I do recall McNabb pumping about $250k into the program in 2000 for locker room upgrades. Not sure if that was just for more expensive paint. But how much can it cost to modernize them? Is it just a space issue? As Millhouse said about the stands, it probably could even apply to the locker rooms. Once we have an IPF, the players aren't going to spend a ton of time in the Dome locker rooms. 6 or 7 times per year.

 

[OttoMets]

I think people are getting away from the issue at hand. This isn't about building a new stadium because the Dome is old or outdated. This would be done to make room for Academic facilities that the administration wants to put where the Dome is. If that is indeed the case, renovations are obviously out of the question. You would have to build a new stadium somewhere else.

Yeah, but I'm questioning the logic behind their alleged reasoning.

Assume SU wants to build two million square feet of residential and academic space in the next fifty years (a bit more than they built in the last 50). And assume SU can afford to build that space.

Would it spend tens of millions to demolish the Dome and prepare the site for new construction and spend (conservatively) $400 million to build a replacement facility (or facilities)? Or would it spend none of that money and just finance new construction on one of four empty lots within two blocks of that site?

More simply:

Option #1: ~$10 million (Dome demo) + ~$400 million (new stadium/arena) + $ of new construction on West Campus.
Option #2: $ of new construction on West Campus.

This is more rhetorical, not directed at you. I don't doubt the veracity of some posters' reports on this, but that such a thing is being considered is really troubling.