Walkup Skydome facts for kids
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"Skydome"
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NAU campus in 2006
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 Flagstaff
Location in Arizona
Flagstaff
Location in the United States
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| Former names | NAU Skydome (1977–79) |
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| Location | McConnell Drive Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 35°10′50″N 111°39′09″W / 35.1805°N 111.6525°W |
| Owner | Northern Arizona University |
| Operator | Northern Arizona University |
| Capacity | 11,230 - total 10,000 - permanent seats 1,230 seats in ten sections of portable bleachers |
| Surface | FieldTurf (2002–present) AstroTurf (1977–2001) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 4, 1975 |
| Opened | September 17, 1977 |
| Renovated | 2010–2011 |
| Construction cost | $8.0 miilion ($38.6 million in 2022 ) |
| Architect | Rossman and Partners |
| Structural engineer | John K. Parsons |
| Tenants | |
| NAU Lumberjacks (NCAA) (1977–present) | |
The J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome is a large indoor stadium at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona. It's often called the "Skydome." This stadium is mainly used by the university's sports teams, the NAU Lumberjacks. Both their football team and their men's and women's basketball teams play here. The Skydome can hold up to 11,230 people. Most of these are permanent seats, with some extra seats that can be moved around.
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Discover the Skydome's History
The Skydome first opened in 1977. Its very first game was a football match where NAU won by just one point! Before the Skydome, NAU's football team played outside on grass. For six years, the Walkup Skydome was the biggest clear-span timber dome in the world. This means it had a huge roof made of wood, without any support columns in the middle. It held this record until the Tacoma Dome was built in 1983.
The person who designed the Skydome was Wendell Rossman. He also designed many other buildings on the NAU campus. The wood used to build the dome was a special type called southern yellow pine. When it opened, the Skydome was one of the first indoor football stadiums in its sports conference, the Big Sky Conference.
Who Was J. Lawrence Walkup?
The Skydome is named after J. Lawrence Walkup. He was the president of NAU from 1957 to 1979. During his time, the university grew a lot! Building the Skydome cost about $8 million. President Walkup found creative ways to pay for it. More than half the money came from students who agreed to pay a little extra in their fees. The rest came from government funding and money saved from vending machines on campus over many years. The Skydome was named after him in 1979, after he retired.
The Skydome is located very high up, about 6,880 feet (2,097 meters) above sea level. This makes it one of the highest college football stadiums in the United States! The playing field inside the Skydome has also changed over time. It was originally made of AstroTurf, but in 2002, it was updated to a newer type of artificial grass called FieldTurf.
Skydome's Big Renovation
The Skydome had a major update between 2010 and 2011. This project cost $26 million. The main goal was to make the building safer and more modern. They updated the bathrooms, hallways, offices, and locker rooms. They also added three elevators to make it easier for everyone to get around. Now, when fans enter, they get a great view of the field. The number of seats was changed to 10,000, and they are now wider and more comfortable.
Other Exciting Uses
The Skydome isn't just for sports! It's a very versatile building. It's often used for important events like graduation ceremonies for NAU students. Many concerts are held here, bringing famous musicians to Flagstaff. It also hosts other large gatherings like conventions and trade shows. The main floor of the arena is huge, with about 97,000 square feet (9,000 square meters) of space.
In the past, the Skydome was even used by a professional football team, the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. They would hold their summer training camp at NAU. If the weather outside was bad, the Cardinals could move their practice inside the Skydome.
