As chancellor, Mel Eggers thought big.

In the late 1970s, it was becoming apparent that the beloved Archbold Stadium was not going to hold up for much longer.

‘Archbold was falling apart and even though the university materials said it was the first concrete stadium in America, what that meant was that it was the oldest concrete stadium in America,’ said Dale Tussing, an economics professor. ‘Sight lines were bad. You couldn’t not do something about it because it was actually crumbling. And so you had to build a new stadium.’

Once the decision was made to build a new stadium, a few sites were debated, including the New York state fairgrounds and Skytop. Eventually, Eggers made the executive decision to build the dome in the tight space on the southwest corner where Archbold stood, according to Eleanor Wane, vice president of human services and government relations.

So, after 70 years of classic outdoor football, construction began. The state provided $10 million, the university spent $14.15 million and the Carrier Corporation pitched in the infamous $2.75 million for permanent naming rights, according to John Robert Greene’s ‘The Hill.’

The dome was completed in 1980, making SU’s trademark facility the only domed stadium in the Northeast and the largest structure of its kind on a college campus in the entire country, according to the Syracuse University Athletic Department’s Web site. It became the home of the SU football, basketball and lacrosse teams, while hosting commencement and attracting top-name musicians.

‘That not only means an invigorated football program, because who wouldn’t want to come and play in a facility like that,’ said Mary O’Brien, assistant university archivist of building the Dome, ‘but also a lot of wonderful concerts. It really is a terrific facility.’

Published on March 6, 2007 at 12:00 pm