Superior Dome
Encyclopedia
The Superior Dome, which opened as the "world’s largest wooden dome
" on September 14, 1991, is a domed stadium
on the campus of Northern Michigan University
in Marquette, Michigan
. It is home to the Northern Michigan Wildcats football
team, as well as a variety of campus and community events. A nickname is the Yooper
Dome.
The dome is 14 stories tall, has a diameter of 536 ft (163.4 m), and covers an area of 5.1 acres (21,000 m²). It is a geodesic dome
constructed with 781 Douglas Fir beams and 108.5 miles (175 km) of fir decking. The dome is designed to support snow up to 60 pounds per square foot (2.87 kPa) and withstand 80 mile per hour (130 km/h) winds. It has a permanent seating capacity
of 8,000, though the building can hold as many as 16,000 people. The "Book of World Records - 2010" listed it as the fifth-largest dome and largest wooden dome in the world.
of Michigan
. Phase II was completed for $2.1 million, with $800,000 in private donations and $1.3 million in loans. Total cost for the Superior Dome stands at $23.9 million.
, 31-20, in front of a crowd of 7,942. Later that season, a Superior Dome attendance record was set at 8,432, when Northern defeated Ferris State
, 27-17, on October 5. On September 18, 2008 a new attendance record was set as 8,672 watched Northern Michigan University lose to the Michigan Tech Huskies
in a televised game.
The Dome features a retractable artificial turf carpet, the largest of its kind in the world. When extended, the turf can accommodate football
, soccer
, and field hockey
. Underneath the carpet is a synthetic playing surface that features three basketball/volleyball courts, two tennis courts and a 200 meter track. The carpet is winched in and out of place on a cushion of air. Retracting the turf carpet takes 30 minutes, with full setup taking approximately two hours.
The Superior Dome is also host to a number of campus and community events, including Michigan High School Athletic Association
football regular season and playoff games, trade shows (approximately 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of space), conventions, conferences, banquets, high school track meets, The Upper Peninsula "Band Day" competition/exhibition, Special Olympics
, and NMU’s Commencement exercises, to name a few.
President George W. Bush
held a campaign rally in the stadium during the 2004 Presidential campaign.
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
" on September 14, 1991, is a domed stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
on the campus of Northern Michigan University
Northern Michigan University
Northern Michigan University is a four-year college public university established in 1899 located in Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With a population of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Northern Michigan University is the Upper Peninsula's largest...
in Marquette, Michigan
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
. It is home to the Northern Michigan Wildcats football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, as well as a variety of campus and community events. A nickname is the Yooper
Yooper
Yooper may refer to:* Yoopers, people from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan * Yooper dialect: The dialect of English speech used by the inhabitants of the Upper Peninsula* Da Yoopers: A comedy–musical group from the area of the Upper Peninsula...
Dome.
The dome is 14 stories tall, has a diameter of 536 ft (163.4 m), and covers an area of 5.1 acres (21,000 m²). It is a geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
constructed with 781 Douglas Fir beams and 108.5 miles (175 km) of fir decking. The dome is designed to support snow up to 60 pounds per square foot (2.87 kPa) and withstand 80 mile per hour (130 km/h) winds. It has a permanent seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 8,000, though the building can hold as many as 16,000 people. The "Book of World Records - 2010" listed it as the fifth-largest dome and largest wooden dome in the world.
Construction
Construction of the Dome was completed in two phases. Phase I was finished in August 1991 and included the construction of the domed complex. Phase II, completed in May 1995, added locker rooms, department offices, meeting rooms, concession areas, a retail store and other building amenities. Phase I of the project cost $21.8 million and was funded entirely by the StateU.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Phase II was completed for $2.1 million, with $800,000 in private donations and $1.3 million in loans. Total cost for the Superior Dome stands at $23.9 million.
Use
The Wildcat football team was the first to christen the Dome, hosting the first-ever event in the facility on September 14, 1991. Northern defeated IndianapolisUniversity of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis is a university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The shortened name it uses is UIndy...
, 31-20, in front of a crowd of 7,942. Later that season, a Superior Dome attendance record was set at 8,432, when Northern defeated Ferris State
Ferris State University
Ferris State University is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris, an educator from New England who later served as governor of the State of Michigan and finally in the US Senate where...
, 27-17, on October 5. On September 18, 2008 a new attendance record was set as 8,672 watched Northern Michigan University lose to the Michigan Tech Huskies
Michigan Tech Huskies
Michigan Technological University's sports teams are called the Huskies. The Huskies participate in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a member of the Central Collegiate Ski Association for men's and women's nordic skiing, and NCAA Division I...
in a televised game.
The Dome features a retractable artificial turf carpet, the largest of its kind in the world. When extended, the turf can accommodate football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
. Underneath the carpet is a synthetic playing surface that features three basketball/volleyball courts, two tennis courts and a 200 meter track. The carpet is winched in and out of place on a cushion of air. Retracting the turf carpet takes 30 minutes, with full setup taking approximately two hours.
The Superior Dome is also host to a number of campus and community events, including Michigan High School Athletic Association
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
football regular season and playoff games, trade shows (approximately 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of space), conventions, conferences, banquets, high school track meets, The Upper Peninsula "Band Day" competition/exhibition, Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
, and NMU’s Commencement exercises, to name a few.
President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
held a campaign rally in the stadium during the 2004 Presidential campaign.