Walkup Skydome
"Skydome" | |
Location in the United States Location in Arizona | |
Former names | NAU Skydome (1977–1979) |
---|---|
Address | McConnell Drive |
Location | Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S. |
Coordinates | 35°10′50″N 111°39′09″W / 35.1805°N 111.6525°W |
Elevation | 6,880 feet (2,095 m) AMSL |
Owner | Northern Arizona University |
Operator | Northern Arizona University |
Capacity | 11,230 – total 10,000 – permanent seats 1,230 seats in ten sections of portable bleachers - basketball = 7,000 |
Surface | FieldTurf (2002–present) AstroTurf (1977–2001) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | September 4, 1975[1] |
Opened | September 17, 1977[5] |
Renovated | 2010–2011 [2] |
Construction cost | $8.0 miilion ($40.2 million in 2023 [3]) |
Architect | Rossman and Partners[4] |
Structural engineer | John K. Parsons[4] |
General contractor | Mardian Construction Company |
Tenants | |
NAU Lumberjacks (NCAA) (1977–present) |
The J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome is an indoor
History
When it opened on September 15, 1977, the stadium did not have a name.[5][6][7] The inaugural football game was a one-point conference win over Montana before 12,860 on September 17;[7] it hosted five games that first season, with an average attendance of 13,029.[8] NAU football was previously played outdoors on natural grass at Lumberjack Stadium.[9][10] The dome hosted the Big Sky men's basketball tournament in 1987, 1997, 1998, and 2006.
For its first six years, the Walkup Skydome was the world's largest clear-span
The Skydome is named after
The elevation at street level is 6,880 feet (2,100 m) above sea level,[17] the highest among NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums and second among NCAA Division I football venues only to an FBS venue, Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, by 335 feet (102 m). From its 1977 opening until 2002, the football playing surface was AstroTurf. This was changed to infilled FieldTurf in 2002.
Renovation
The building underwent a major renovation from December 2010 to September 2011 at a cost of $26 million. The scope of the project included bringing the fire, life, and safety up to code while remodeling the bathrooms, concourse, offices, suites, locker rooms, and press box. The athletic training and equipment on the main floor were also remodeled and three elevators were added to the complex. Fans now enter the building to a panoramic view of the field on the east and west concourses. Capacity was reduced to 10,000, but it now features 21-in-wide chair-back seating.[2]
Other uses
Besides sporting events, the arena is also used for
The Walkup Skydome was formerly used by the
See also
- List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
- List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
- List of convention centers in the United States
References
- ^ a b Van Sickel, Charlie (January 10, 1982). "NAU brought the Big Sky indoors...cheaply". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. C3.
- ^ a b "Walkup Skydome Set to Reopen This Week with Fort Lewis Game". Northern Arizona Athletics. September 5, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Domes – timeline". Columbia University. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- ^ a b "NAU opens play in domed stadium". Prescott Courier. (Arizona). September 15, 1977. p. 9.
- ^ "Lumberjacks to open dome". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 17, 1977. p. 3B.
- ^ a b "NAU gets its kick". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 18, 1977. p. 2B.
- ^ "NAU dome aids attendance". Kingman Daily Miner. (Arizona). April 19, 1978. p. 12.
- ^ "Vandals concerned with NAU". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 20, 1975. p. 17.
- ^ Drosendahl, Glenn (September 21, 1975). "Idaho sends Lumberjacks back to woods". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
- ^ "Skydome Information". Northern Arizona University. Retrieved April 26, 2006.
- ^ "Mardian Construction". Arizona Republic. 1989-06-19. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "J. Lawrence Walkup". NAU Library. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ "Former NAU president Walkup is dead at age 88". Kingman Daily Miner. Arizona. Associated Press. August 9, 2002. p. 3A.
- ^ "J. Lawrence Walkup (1914–2002)" (PDF). Arizona Historical Society. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ "Dome may get new name". Kingman Daily Miner. Arizona. Associated Press. October 9, 1979. p. 3.
- USGS The National Map
- ^ "Cards begins football camp with changes". Kingman Daily Miner. Arizona. Associated Press. July 14, 1997. p. 6.
- ^ "Cardinals reach accord on training at NAU". Mohave Daily Miner. Kingman, Arizona. Associated Press. February 8, 1990. p. 8.
External links
- Official website
- NAU Athletics – official site – facilities