J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952.
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| Former names | State Fair Arena (1952–1961) |
|---|---|
| Location | North Carolina State Fairgrounds 1025 Blue Ridge Road Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Owner | State of North Carolina |
| Operator | State of North Carolina |
| Capacity | 5,110 – Arena Football and Hockey 7,610 – Basketball |
| Surface | Ice, Concrete, Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1952 |
| Architect | Maciej Nowicki, William Henley Dietrick |
| Tenants | |
| Carolina Cougars (ABA) (1969–1974) Raleigh Bullfrogs (GBA) (1991–1992) Raleigh IceCaps (ECHL) (1991–1998) Raleigh Cougars (USBL) (1997–1999) Raleigh Rebels (AIFL) (2005–2006) Carolina Rollergirls (WFTDA) (2006–present) Triangle Torch (AIF/SIF) (2016–2017) | |
J. S. Dorton Arena | |
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| Location | North Carolina State Fairgrounds, W. Hillsborough St., Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°47′37″N 78°42′36″W / 35.79361°N 78.71000°W |
| Built | 1953 |
| Architect | Nowicki, Matthew, et al.; Muirhead, William, Construction |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001375 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 |
Architect Maciej Nowicki of the North Carolina State University Department of Architecture was killed in an airplane crash before the construction phase. Local architect William Henley Dietrick supervised the completion of the arena using Nowicki's innovative design. Said design features a steel cable supported saddle-shaped roof in tension, held up by parabolic concrete arches in compression. The arches cross about 20 feet above ground level and continue underground, where their ends are held together by more steel cables in tension. The outer walls of the arena support next to no weight at all.
Dorton Arena was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973.[1] Originally named the "State Fair Arena", it was dedicated to Dr. J. S. Dorton, former North Carolina State Fair manager, in 1961.[2]
In the past, it has hosted many sporting events, concerts, political rallies and circuses.
Historic significance
editThe Dorton Arena was the first structure in the world to use a cable-supported roof. The structure is based on two parabolic concrete arches which lean over to the point that they are closer to being parallel to the ground than they are to being vertical. The arches lean toward and beyond each other such that they cross each other 26 feet above ground. These arches, approaching horizontal in plane, thus serve as the outer edges of the structure, which when viewed from above appears almost elliptical. The arches are supported by slender columns around the building perimeter. Cables are strung between the two opposing arch structures providing support for the saddle-shaped roof. This was the first permanent cable-supported roof in the world.
Completed in 1952, the arena served as an inspiration to many architects and civil engineers, both at home and abroad, for similar buildings. This led to a boom in lightweight constructions such as the Europe 1-Broadcasting House (1954) in Überherrn[3], the auditorium Paul-Emile Janson (1956) in Bruxelles[4], the Ingalls Rink (1958) in New Haven, the Športová hala Pasienky (1958) in Bratislava[5], the Yoyogi National Gymnasium (1964) in Tokyo, the Ice Aréna (1965) in Prešov[6]and the Sporthal Beverwijk (1971) in Beverwijk[7]. Most famous - albeit not in terms of the disfunctional foundations - is the Congress Hall (1957) in Berlin[8], As a prominent symbol of the German-American alliance during the Cold War era and beyond it caused similar constructions in various parts of Germany.[9][10]
Dorton Arena was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2002.[11][12][13]
Sports
editDorton Arena has hosted numerous sporting events and teams throughout the decades. The longest-running tenant was the Raleigh IceCaps (ECHL) ice hockey team from 1991–1998. The American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars also played some games in the arena from 1969–74. It was also the home of the Carolina Rollergirls (WFTDA).
The Cougars became tenants after the Houston Mavericks moved to North Carolina in 1969. The Cougars were a "regional franchise", playing "home" games in Charlotte (Bojangles' Coliseum), Greensboro (Greensboro Coliseum), Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum and Raleigh (Dorton Arena). Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown began his coaching career with the Cougars in 1972. Billy Cunningham was the ABA MVP for Brown and the Cougars in the 1972–73 season. Despite a strong fan base the Cougars were sold and moved to St. Louis in 1974.[14]
Dorton Arena was a popular venue for professional wrestling in the 70s and 80s, with sometimes weekly matches. Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper defeated “Nature Boy” Ric Flair for the National Wrestling Alliance U.S. Heavyweight championship in Dorton Arena on Jan. 27, 1981.
Beginning in 2016, it became the home of the Triangle Torch in American Indoor Football.[15] The Torch have since played as members of Supreme Indoor Football but left Dorton Arena prior to the 2018 season in the American Arena League.
Other events
editBesides hosting sporting events, the arena is also used for concerts during the North Carolina State Fair. Various conventions and fairs also use floorspace of the arena as an exhibition space, often in conjunction with the neighboring Jim Graham building.
The arena has hosted the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) regional robotics competition and was the first space to hold a regional in the state.
Both Shaw University and Meredith College use Dorton Arena as a site for graduation, and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics use the facility as a rain site for their commencement exercises.
Concerts (non-fair)
editDorton Arena and Reynolds Coliseum were the only concert venues in the Capital City for many decades before Walnut Creek Amphitheater and PNC Arena were built. The building was originally designed for livestock shows, and before popular music concerts began to be regularly hosted in arenas, so while there are unobstructed views of the stage, the sound tends to bounce off the glass. Fair officials have made significant changes to improve the acoustics of the building in recent years. Many of the biggest names in entertainment have played in this arena.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Survey and Planning Unit Staff (August 1972). "J.S. Dorton Arena" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
- ^ Europe1 Berus
- ^ [1] Auditorium "Paul-Emile Janson"
- ^ Gopass Aréna (Športová hala Pasienky)
- ^ "Ice Arena" in Prešov
- ^ Exterieur "Sporthal Beverwijk"
- ^ Congress Hall/House of World Cultures in Berlin
- ^ "Feierabendhaus" (house for after working hours) in Knapsack (Hürth)
- ^ "Teepott" (Tea-Pot) in Warnemünde/Rostock
- ^ "Extended history of the J.S. Dorton Arena". North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "Dorton Arena". American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Petroski, Henry (November–December 2002). "Dorton Arena, On the occasion of its 50th anniversary and its dedication as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark" (PDF). American Scientist. 90 (6): 503–507. doi:10.1511/2002.39.3324. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Remember the ABA: Carolina Cougars". Archived from the original on 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
- ^ "AIF in Raleigh NC begins today as new team has been awarded to Raleigh, NC". Triangle Torch. August 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ Billboard, August 31, 1963
- ^ The Daily Tar Heel, October 27, 1963
- ^ "Vintage Concert Posters - Buy or Sell Concert Posters". vintageconcertposters.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Concert History of Dorton Arena Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | Concert Archives". www.concertarchives.org. 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c d The Daily Tar Heel
- ^ a b The Daily Tar Heel, January 12, 1967
- ^ "Diana Ross Supremes Timeline 1967". dianarosssupremes.free.fr. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ Daily Tar Heel, March 10, 1967
- ^ Billboard, April 27, 1968
- ^ "Led Zeppelin | Official Website J. S. Dorton Arena - April 8, 1970". Led Zeppelin | Official Website - Official Website. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ "Concert Tickets". www.lookatstubs.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ "Concert Tickets". www.lookatstubs.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ "The Daily Tar Heel from Chapel Hill, North Carolina on March 4, 1971 · Page 3". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ Billboard, April 22, 1972
- ^ Billboard, August, 12, 1972
- ^ Billboard Magazine, October 27, 1973
- ^ Daily Tar Heel, January 9, 1974
- ^ "KISS Setlist at J.S. Dorton Arena, Raleigh". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ Billboard, November 27, 1976
- ^ "Concert History of Dorton Arena Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | Concert Archives". www.concertarchives.org. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ The Technician, January 24, 1977
- ^ "NC State University Libraries' Rare and Unique Digital Collections". d.lib.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ The Technician, September 10, 1982
- ^ Daily Tar Heel, December 1, 1986
- ^ "Petra Setlist at J.S. Dorton Arena, Raleigh". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
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External links
edit
- Official Website Archived 2006-05-28 at the Wayback Machine via the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Historic photos of Dorton Arena
- Matthew Nowicki Papers at NCSU Libraries, includes drawings of Dorton
- Video: JS Dorton Arena, the Fairground Pavilion That Was a Modernist Marvel by ArchDaily.com, 4 September 2014