Norfolk Scope
Encyclopedia
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
at the northern perimeter of downtown Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, designed by Italian architect/engineer Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer. He studied at the University of Bologna and qualified in 1913. Dr. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946-61...
in conjunction with the (now defunct) local firm of Williams and Tazewell. Nervi's design for the reinforced concrete dome evolved from his much smaller Palazzetto dello Sport
Palazzetto dello sport
The Palazzetto dello Sport, also known as the PalaTiziano and PalaFlaminio is an indoor arena located in Piazza Apollodoro in Rome, Italy. Built for the 1960 Summer Olympics , it has a 3,500 seating capacity and was designed by Pier Luigi Nervi. It hosted basketball among other sports during the...
, which was built in the 1950s for the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Construction on Scope began in June 1968 and was completed in 1971 at a cost of $35 million USD. Federal funds covered $23 million of the cost, and when it opened formally on November 12, 1971, the structure was the second-largest public complex in Virginia, behind only the Pentagon.
Scope, which features the world's largest concrete dome, won the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects Test of Time award in 2003. Wes Lewis, director of Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
's civil engineering technology program, called it "a beautiful marrying of art and engineering." Noted architectural critic James Howard Kunstler
James Howard Kunstler
James Howard Kunstler is an American author, social critic, public speaker, and blogger. He is best known for his books The Geography of Nowhere , a history of American suburbia and urban development, and the more recent The Long Emergency , where he argues that declining oil production is likely...
described the design as looking like "yesterday's tomorrow."
The name Scope, a contraction of kaleidoscope, emphasizes the venue's re-configurability, and the logo (right), which features a multi-colored, abstracted kaleidoscope image, was designed by Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy was an industrial designer, and the first to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine, on October 31, 1949. Born in France, he spent most of his professional career in the United States...
's firm Loewy/Snaith of New York.
History and design
After watching the Rome Olympics on television, Brad Tazewell and Jim Williams, the Norfolk architects who were eventually to partner with Nervi, solicited U.S. Sen. A. Willis Robertson, father of Pat RobertsonPat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
, to build a sports complex in Norfolk. Subsequently, President Lyndon Johnson asked Robertson to support federal funding for a multimillion-dollar cultural center in Colorado and Robertson said he would if Johnson would support one in Norfolk. Nervi was subsequently commissioned.
The complex was an important part of the first phase of Norfolk's post WWII revitilzation. A large section of the city's downtown was razed, and the Scope complex was to "anchor" its northern corner, with the Vincent Kling designed Courthouse and Civic complex anchoring the Eastern edge of downtown.
With a concrete monolithic
Monolithic dome
A monolithic dome is a structure cast in a one-piece form. The form may be permanent or temporary and may or may not remain part of the finished structure....
dome measuring 440 ft (134 m) in diameter and a height of 110 ft (33.5 m), the dome was, at the time of its construction, the largest of its kind in the world. After the demolition of the larger Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
in 2000, Scope reclaimed the title as having the world's largest concrete dome. Supported by 24 flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
es, the arena roof encloses 85000 sq ft (7,896.8 m²).
The arena's seating can be reconfigured to accommodate from 10,253 for sporting events up to 13,800 for concerts. The arena is located on its 14 acre site above a raised plinth, below which is located a parking garage for 640 cars. The facility includes a 65,000 exhibit hall as well as the adjacent Chrysler Hall, a music and theater venue, home to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is an American regional orchestra in the Hampton Roads metro area. The orchestra performs at several venues in Virginia, including Chrysler Hall in Norfolk and the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News....
).
During preparations for the first hosting of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
, a bear escaped its cage and ran across the wet paint on the floor of the unfinished Exhibition Hall below. During the first presentation in the Exhibition Hall of the Hampton Roads Automobile Show, visitors could spot bear tracks in the painted floor, between the exhibitions. (Source: Virginian-Pilot)
Hostings
Norfolk Scope is currently home to the Norfolk AdmiralsNorfolk Admirals
The Norfolk Admirals are a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Admirals play in Norfolk, Virginia, at the Norfolk Scope.-History:...
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, seating 8,725 for hockey. It has hosted the Admirals since the team began in the East Coast Hockey League
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
in 1989, and stayed as the home arena as the franchise moved up to the AHL in 2000. Also 2011 the Scope will be the home of the Norfolk SharX
Norfolk SharX
The Norfolk SharX are a member of the proposed indoor Major Indoor Soccer League. set to begin play in the 2011-2012 season....
that will play in the MISL.
In previous years, Norfolk Scope was home to an arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
team, the Norfolk Nighthawks
Norfolk Nighthawks
The Norfolk Nighthawks are a now-defunct charter member of the AF2. They played their home games at The Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia...
, the former Norfolk Knights and the now-defunct American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
(ABA) professional basketball franchise Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
.
The Squires played at Scope, the Roanoke Civic Center, Richmond Coliseum
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond Coliseum is an arena in Richmond, Virginia, where the SPHL Richmond Renegades played until the 2008-2009 season and the SIFL Richmond Raiders will play starting with the 2010 season. It is also the venue for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and holds 13,500 people. A...
and Hampton Roads Coliseum (now Hampton Coliseum
Hampton Coliseum
The Hampton Coliseum is a multi-use cultural, entertainment and sports arena in Hampton, Virginia. Construction on the arena began on May 24, 1968 and the venue opened in 1970 as the first large multi-purpose arena in the Hampton Roads region and the state of Virginia, opening a year prior to...
) – all within the state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
– from 1971 to 1976. Norfolk Scope also served as the venue of the 1974 ABA All-Star Game
1974 ABA All-Star Game
GAME 7: at Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, January 30, 1974MVP: Artis Gilmore, Kentucky ColonelsCoaches:* East: Babe McCarthy, Kentucky Colonels* West: Joe Mullaney, Utah Stars-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by Periods:...
. The Virginia Squires played their first game at Scope on November 27, 1970 (versus the Dallas Chapparals, now known as the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
) and their last game on April 7, 1976, versus the New York Nets.
The arena was home to Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
men's college basketball, until the campus' own 8,639-seat (basketball) arena, the Ted Constant Convocation Center
Ted Constant Convocation Center
The Ted Constant Convocation Center is a 9,520-seat multi-purpose arena in Norfolk, Virginia, located on the campus of Old Dominion University. "The Ted" has 7,519 fully cushioned seats, 16 luxury suites, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard. The arena currently seats 8,639 for basketball games...
, opened in Norfolk in October 2002.
Wrestling
- WCWWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
StarrcadeStarrcadeStarrcade was an annual professional wrestling event held from 1983 to 2000 by the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling as their flagship event equal to WWE's WrestleMania , and featured the largest feuds of the promotion...
– 1988 & 1991 - WCW World War 3WCW World War 3World War 3 was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling. The pay-per-view's title also was the name of its signature match, a three-ring, sixty-man battle royal which was their answer to the World Wrestling Federation's Royal Rumble. The event...
– 1995 & 1996 - WWE The Great American BashWWE The Great American BashThe Great American Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced in the summer in either the month of June or July by professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment . The 2009 edition was known as The Bash...
– 2004 - Scope is also famous in professional wrestlingProfessional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
for hosting the edition of WCW Monday NitroWCW Monday NitroWCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
which was invaded by rival company WWE's D-Generation XD-Generation XD-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
stable. - TNATotal Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
Destination XTNA Destination XDestination X is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the month of March. Despite what the name and promotional posters seem to imply, the show is not focused around the X Division any more so than any other pay-per-view, although the 2005,...
- 2008 - WWE SmackDown - 2008 & 2010
Basketball
- 1974 American Basketball Association All-Star Game - January 30, 1974
- The First NCAA Women's Division I Basketball ChampionshipNCAA Women's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
(Women's Final FourFinal fourFinal Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
) – March 29, 1982 - NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship (Women's Final Four) – April 3, 1983
- McDonald's All-American Game - March 21, 1998
- 1991-1993 MEAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
Boxing
Heavyweight
- Larry HolmesLarry HolmesLarry Holmes is a former professional boxer. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which gave birth to his boxing nickname, The Easton Assassin....
against Eric "Butterbean" Esch (Holmes' last fight) – 2002 Promoted by Daryl DeCroix and Frank Azzalina.
Welterweight
- Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against James McGirt - 1994 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against Santos CardonaSantos CardonaSantos A. Cardona was a sergeant in the United States Army. He was one of the members of the U.S. military police personnel who were charged with torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.-Military Career:...
- 1994 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against Policarpo Diaz - 1991 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against Jose Louis Ramirez - 1989 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against Louis Lorneli - 1989 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against Roger MayweatherRoger MayweatherRoger Mayweather is a retired professional boxer. He won two major world titles in two different weight classes. Throughout his career, Mayweather fought against many other boxing champions of the 1980s and 1990s. He is a part of the Mayweather boxing family; his brothers are former welterweight...
- 1987 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against Alfredo LayneAlfredo LayneAlfredo Layne was a Panamanian professional boxer. Layne is notable for having won the WBA World super featherweight title. Layne, who began fighting professionally in 1981, fought in his first world title fight on May 24, 1986 as he travelled to San Juan to challenge the Puerto Rican world...
- 1986 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against John Senegal - 1985 - Pernell WhitakerPernell WhitakerPernell Whitaker , nicknamed "Sweet Pea", is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer...
against Mike Golden - 1985