Dorton Arena facts for kids
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Paraboleum
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| Former names | State Fair Arena (1952–1961) |
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| 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) |
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J. S. Dorton Arena
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | North Carolina State Fairgrounds, W. Hillsborough St., Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Built | 1953 |
| Architect | Nowicki, Matthew, et al.; Muirhead, William, Construction |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001375 |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 |
J. S. Dorton Arena is a cool building in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's a big place that can hold up to 7,610 people for events like basketball games. You can find it on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. This arena first opened its doors in 1952.
The arena has a very special and unique roof design. An architect named Maciej Nowicki from North Carolina State University created the original idea. Sadly, he passed away before construction began. Another local architect, William Henley Dietrick, made sure Nowicki's amazing design was built.
The roof looks like a saddle and is held up by strong steel cables. These cables are pulled tight, creating what's called a "tension" structure. The roof is supported by two giant, curved concrete arches. These arches cross each other about 20 feet above the ground. The outer walls of the arena don't hold much weight at all, which is part of what makes the design so clever!
Dorton Arena is so special that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973. It was first called the "State Fair Arena." In 1961, it was renamed to honor Dr. J. S. Dorton, who used to manage the North Carolina State Fair. Over the years, it has hosted many exciting sports events, concerts, and other gatherings.
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A Special Building Design
The World's First Cable-Supported Roof
Dorton Arena was the very first building in the world to use a roof held up by cables. Imagine two huge concrete arches that lean over so much they are almost flat. These arches cross each other 26 feet above the ground. From above, the building looks almost like an oval.
Thin columns around the building help support these arches. Strong cables are stretched between the two arches. These cables then hold up the unique saddle-shaped roof. This was a brand-new way to build a roof back in 1952!
Inspiring Other Buildings
When Dorton Arena was finished, it became a big inspiration for architects and engineers everywhere. Its lightweight design led to many similar buildings being built around the world. Some famous examples include the Ingalls Rink in New Haven (1958) and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo (1964).
In 1953, Dorton Arena was one of only two new buildings in the United States to win a National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects. Later, in 2002, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. This shows how important and groundbreaking its design truly was.
Exciting Sports Events
Dorton Arena has been home to many different sports teams and events. One of its longest-running tenants was the Raleigh IceCaps ice hockey team. They played there from 1991 to 1998. The Carolina Cougars, a professional basketball team, also played some of their games in the arena between 1969 and 1974.
The Carolina Cougars were a special kind of team. They didn't have just one home city. Instead, they played games in different cities across North Carolina, including Raleigh. A famous coach named Larry Brown started his coaching career with the Cougars in 1972. Even though they had many fans, the team moved to St. Louis in 1974.
Dorton Arena was also a popular spot for professional wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s. Sometimes, there were matches every week! Famous wrestlers like Rowdy Roddy Piper even won championships there. More recently, the arena hosted the Triangle Torch indoor football team in 2016 and 2017.
Other Fun Events
Besides sports, Dorton Arena is used for many other activities. During the North Carolina State Fair, it hosts concerts with popular music artists. Many different conventions and fairs also use the arena's large floor space for exhibitions. It's often used along with the nearby Jim Graham building.
The arena has also been a host for the FIRST Robotics Competition. This is a regional robotics contest where student teams build and program robots. It was the first place in North Carolina to hold such an event.
Local colleges like Shaw University and Meredith College use Dorton Arena for their graduation ceremonies. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics also uses the facility as a backup location for their graduations if it rains.
Music Concerts
For many years, Dorton Arena was one of the main places in Raleigh to see live music. Before bigger venues were built, many famous musicians played here. The building was originally designed for livestock shows, so the sound sometimes bounced around a lot. However, officials have made changes to improve the sound quality for concerts in recent years. Many big names in music have performed on its stage.
See also
- Tensile architecture
- Tensile and membrane structures
- Thin-shell structure
- List of thin shell structures
- List of Registered Historic Places in North Carolina
- List of historic civil engineering landmarks
