This Day in Dome History: May 23

The Carrier Dome has been quiet on May 23 as no events have taken place on this date during the past 25 years. For 71 years, Orange fans gathered at Archbold Stadium on several Saturday's in the fall to cheer on the Syracuse football team. SU enjoyed a distinct home field advantage there, recording an all-time record of 265-112-20 at Archbold. Due largely to that success, Syracuse was outgrowing the 30,000-seat stadium. It became clear that the football Orange needed a new home to ensure the future growth of the program. During the summer of 1978, the plans for an enclosed stadium on campus came to life.

The Carrier Dome: Financing and Expectations

By Rachel Peceri

With crowds pushing the capacity limit of Archbold Stadium, a new home for the Syracuse University football team was crucial for the continued growth of the intercollegiate athletics program. The former Archbold stadium accommodated less than 30,000 fans. It was inadequate in meeting the needs of the increasing crowds.

The construction of the new stadium was a considerable financial undertaking for the University to plan and support. The original plans were for an off-campus open stadium at an estimated $13.5 million. A domed stadium was proposed at an estimated $15 million. The final cost of the Carrier Dome – $27 million.

Funding for the facility came from several sources, including $11 million in donations from alumni, friends, and benefactors, and a $15 million grant from New York State. The University estimated an additional $5.425 million in projected preferred seating sales. A gift of $2.75 million from Carrier Corporation gave the building its name, the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University. Bill Holm, the president and CEO of Carrier Corp. and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and Syracuse Chancellor Melvin Eggers facilitated the naming gift.

Jake Crouthamel, who retired as the Syracuse Athletics Director in June, 2005, said he was promised a 50,000 seat open-air stadium on Skytop when he accepted the position in March, 1978. That summer, everything changed due to negotiations between former Chancellor Eggers and politicians. The project shifted from the intended stadium on Skytop to what the Carrier Dome is today.

Dome construction, which began in April 1979, included the use of 30,000 cubic feet of concrete and 880 tons of steel. The Dome and its amenities occupy 7.7 acres of space. The floor of the actual structure is 527,320 square feet; and it stretches 570 feet long and 497 feet wide. In September, 1980, the Carrier Dome was the first domed stadium in the northeast and was the fifth largest in the United States.

The first event in the Dome featured the Syracuse football team against Miami (OH) on September 20, 1980.

“It was a brand new experience for everybody,” said Crouthamel, “Nobody had ever been in that big a building, with a roof on top of it, to watch an athletic contest.”

In its first year of operation, the Carrier Dome had a balanced budget, with expenses of $2,448,000, which included salaries, wages, parking and transportation accommodations, utilities, equipment rental, ticket office operations, operating costs, and maintenance funds.

In its second year, the facility generated gross revenues of $8,139,000, which included funds from ticket sales, Syracuse athletics, concessions, bookstore novelties, the Drumlins program and ad sales. Conservative estimates are that the $8 million in revenues from the Dome translated to more than $23 million in other business activity in the local area.

Twenty-five years later the Carrier Dome is the symbol of athletics at Syracuse University and has helped to develop a prestigious reputation across the sports world.

The Dome revived the Orange athletics program. It was a large financial affair to take on, but it has rewarded the University, athletics department, and community at large. The Carrier Dome promotes camaraderie, bringing people together to root the Orange to victory. It helps the area economically. It’s become a symbol of the city. It’s the Carrier Dome.

Could you imagine Syracuse without it?

Syracuse University Athletics

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