Carrier Dome

Carrier Dome
"The Loud House"'
Location	900 Irving Avenue Syracuse, NY 13210
Coordinates	43°2′10″N 76°8′11″W
Broke ground	April 1979
Opened	September 20, 1980
Owner	Syracuse University
Operator	Syracuse University
Surface	Astroturf 1980 to 2004 FieldTurf 2005 to present
Construction cost	$26.85 million USD ($75.7 million in 2012 dollars)
Architect	Finch-Heery Hueber Hares Glavin
General Contractor	Huber, Hunt & Nichols
Capacity	Football: 49,250 Basketball: 33,000 Concerts: 56,250
Tenants
Syracuse Orange (NCAA) (1980–present)

The Carrier Dome is a 49,250-seat domed sports stadium located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, USA. It is home to the Syracuse Orange football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. High school football championships are also held in "The Dome," as are occasional concerts. New York's high school indoor track and field championships have also been held at the Carrier Dome, as well as the annual New York State Field Band Conference championships.

Notability

The Carrier Dome is the largest domed stadium of any college campus and the largest domed stadium in the Northeastern United States. Also, it is the largest on-campus basketball arena in the nation, with a listed capacity of 33,000, however this limit has been easily exceeded several times. Consequently, Syracuse University's Men's Basketball per-game and single-season attendance numbers are usually annual contenders for the top rank in the nation. Lacrosse crowds are not as large, but the venue allows Syracuse's lacrosse teams to play home games throughout the February–May regular season.

Carrier Dome in its basketball configuration

The Dome has thus seen many of NCAA basketball's largest crowds. On February 27, 2010, a new on-campus basketball attendance record was set, at 34,616 as the Orange routed the Villanova Wildcats 95-77. The game officially sold out on February 3, more than three weeks ahead of the game. Officials resorted to selling tickets in sections of the Dome—which has a listed capacity of 49,262 in its football configuration and 33,000 in basketball—that are not normally open to basketball games, however associate athletic director Pete Sala insisted that nobody would have an obstructed view of the court. The previous attendance record to fall was also at The Dome, on March 6, 2006, when 33,633 came to see the last regular-season college game ever played by Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara, in a 92-82 loss to Villanova. Further still, that figure broke the previous record of 33,199 set in Syracuse's 60–57 win over Notre Dame at the Dome on February 5, 2005.

On March 19, 2007, a new NIT attendance record was set, at 26,752, in the second-round men's basketball game against the San Diego State University Aztecs.

Artists that have performed at the stadium include Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, U2, Genesis, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Frank Sinatra, Garth Brooks, The Who, Neil Diamond, Kid Cudi, Grateful Dead, Kid Rock, Paul McCartney, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift and Pink Floyd, among others.

Billy Joel played a special sold-out concert on March 25, 2006, to help mark the Carrier Dome's 25th anniversary. All tickets were sold for $39.50, the same price as his last solo appearance in Syracuse in 1998.

Each October, the dome hosts the New York State Field Band Conference marching band championships.

It also hosts the New York State High School Football Championships each November.

A Billy Graham crusade took place at the Carrier Dome in 1989.

History

Toward the end of the 1970s, Syracuse University was under pressure to improve its football facilities in order to remain a Division I-A football school. Its small concrete stadium, Archbold Stadium, was 70 years old and not up to the standards of other schools. The stadium could not be expanded; earlier in the decade it had been reduced from 40,000 seats to 26,000 due to fire codes. Therefore Syracuse University decided to build a new stadium on the site of Archbold, which, appropriately for Syracuse's often cold weather was to have a domed Teflon-coated, fiberglass inflatable roof. When it opened in September 1980, it was made clear just how loud it was inside; that night the dome's famous nickname, "the Loud House", was coined. The inflatable roof causes the sound produced to echo many times, exponentially increasing the loudness produced inside. It would also serve as the home for the men's basketball team, as a replacement for Manley Field House. The Carrier Dome was constructed between April 1979 and September 1980. The total construction cost was $26.85 million, including a $2.75 million naming gift from the Carrier Corporation. Hueber, Hunt and Nichols, Inc. was the general contractor.

Football inside the Carrier Dome

It was speculated at the time that political considerations helped this project advance. The State of New York provided a $15 million grant in 1978 for the Dome's construction. At the time Democratic incumbent Governor Hugh Carey was thought to have trouble in his re-election campaign with upstate voters. He visited the site of the old Archbold stadium and was sold by local officials and SU brass on the utility of a Dome. Carey won re-election to a second term following the approval of state funds, although the extent to which it helped him may never be known.

The Dome has been upgraded several times throughout the past 25 years. Most recently the University installed a LED video display system with 2 video boards (15' x 25') that are located on the east end and northwest corners of the 3rd level, along with 58 color TVs for the back rows of the 2nd and 1st levels. The inflatable roof was also replaced in 1999 at a cost of $14 million.

The Dome has also been the site of a tragic accident. In June 1999, worker Bryan Bowman was killed when he fell through the Dome roof to the bleachers 60 feet below. He had been working with a crew from Birdair Incorporated, to replace the roof. The next month an electrician fell down a 50-foot shaft while installing cables for a new speaker system. He survived with injuries to his leg, arm, back and ribs.

FieldTurf was installed at the beginning of the 2005 football season, replacing the outdated AstroTurf. Additionally, the Dome also received orange paint and banners between its decks, and its corridors were lined with historic photographs.

In the 2009 football season the field turf was dedicated to Ernie Davis, the first African American Heisman Trophy winner. The field now reads "Ernie Davis Legends Field" between the 45 yard lines on the home side. Davis's number forty-four was also placed along that yard line. The dedication took place at the Syracuse vs. West Virginia game October 10, 2009. [1]

In 2006–07, the women's basketball team began playing home games in the Dome.

The 1981 Big East Conference men's basketball tournament was held there, as were the 1988 and 1991 Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships. The Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament East Regional semi-finals & finals have been held at the Dome six times (1983, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2010).

The Dome is served by CENTRO buses. Shuttle buses transport fans to and from remote parking lots.

Despite carrying the name Carrier (an HVAC manufacturer), there is no air conditioning in the dome. The need for it is presumed low, as the facility is primarily used during the academic year (August–May), during most of which the outside temperatures rarely go far above room temperature, although it can get very hot in August and September. However, the temperatures greatly rise when filled to capacity even in November.

External links

• Carrier Dome
• Carrier Dome (old)

Events and tenants
Preceded by Manley Field House	Home Syracuse Orange basketball 1980 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Rutgers Stadium I	Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 1988	Succeeded by Byrd Stadium