Dorton Arena

J.S. Dorton Arena

Paraboleum
Former names	State Fair Arena (1952–1961)
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 (SIF) (2016–present)
J. S. Dorton Arena
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Show map of North Carolina Show map of the US
Location	North Carolina State Fairgrounds, W. Hillsborough St., Raleigh, North Carolina
Coordinates	35°47′37″N 78°42′36″W / 35.79361°N 78.71000°W / 35.79361; -78.71000Coordinates: 35°47′37″N 78°42′36″W / 35.79361°N 78.71000°W / 35.79361; -78.71000
Built	1953
Architect	Nowicki,Matthew,et al.; Muirhead,William,Construction
NRHP Reference #	73001375 [1]
Added to NRHP	April 11, 1973

J.S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952.

Architect Maciej Nowicki was killed in an airplane crash before the construction phase, and local architect William Henley Dietrick supervised the completion of the arena using Nowicki's innovative design. Its design features a steel cable supported saddle-shaped roof in tension, held up by parabolic concrete arches in compression. The arches cross about 20 feet above ground level and continue underground, where the ends of the arches are held together by more steel cables in tension. The outer walls of the arena support next to no weight at all. Incorporating an unusual elliptical design by Matthew Nowicki, of the North Carolina State University Department of Architecture, the arena was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973.^[1] Originally named the "State Fair Arena", it was dedicated to Dr. J. S. Dorton, former North Carolina State Fair manager, in 1961.^[2]

In the past, it has hosted many sporting events, concerts, political rallies and circuses.

Sports

The longest serving tenant was the Raleigh IceCaps (ECHL) ice hockey team from 1991–1998. The American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars also played some games there from 1969–74. It was also the home of the Carolina Rollergirls (WFTDA).

Triangle Torch (black jerseys with and red and yellow accents) vs. Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (gold jerseys with black accents) during a game at Dorton Arena, March 25, 2016

The Cougars became tenants after the Houston Mavericks moved to North Carolina in 1969. The Cougars were a "regional franchise", playing "home" games in Charlotte (Bojangles' Coliseum), Greensboro (Greensboro Coliseum), Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum and Raleigh (Dorton Arena). Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown began his coaching career with the Cougars in 1972. Billy Cunningham was the ABA MVP for the Cougars in the 1972-73 season. Despite a strong fan base the Cougars were sold and moved to St. Louis in 1974.^[3]

Dorton Arena was a popular venue for professional wrestling in the 70s and 80s, with sometimes weekly matches. Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper defeated “Nature Boy” Ric Flair for National Wrestling Alliance U.S. Heavyweight championship in Dorton Arena on Jan. 27, 1981.

Beginning in 2016 it will be the home of the Triangle Torch in American Indoor Football.^[4]

Other events

Besides hosting sporting events, the arena is also used for concerts during the North Carolina State Fair. Various conventions and fairs also use floorspace of the arena as an exhibition space, often in conjunction with the neighboring Jim Graham building.

The arena has hosted the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) regional robotics competition and was the first space to hold a regional in the state.

Both Shaw University and Meredith College use Dorton Arena as a site for graduation, and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics use the facility as a rain site for their commencement exercises.

Concerts in Dorton (non-fair)

Dorton Arena and Reynolds Coliseum were the only concert venues in the Capital City for many decades before Walnut Creek Amphitheater and PNC Arena were built. The building was originally designed for livestock shows, not for concerts, so while there are unobstructed views of the stage, the sound tends to bounce off the glass. Fair officials have made significant changes to improve the acoustics of the building in recent years. Many of the biggest names in entertainment have played in this arena.

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

References

External links

• Official Website via the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Extended history including construction photos and structural details
• Historic photos of Dorton Arena
• Matthew Nowicki Papers at NCSU Libraries, includes drawings of Dorton
• Video: JS Dorton Arena, the Fairground Pavilion That Was a Modernist Marvel by ArchDaily.com, 4 September 2014

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types
Lists by county	Alamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Other lists	Bridges National Historic Landmarks

City of Raleigh, North Carolina
Main	Notable people Wake County The Triangle North Carolina Piedmont Tallest buildings Timeline
Government	Mayor Nancy McFarlane Mayors of Raleigh Raleigh City Council Wake County Public School System Raleigh Fire Department Raleigh Police Department
Colleges and Universities	North Carolina State University Wake Technical Community College Meredith College William Peace University Shaw University St. Augustine's University Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law Skema Business School
Attractions	Museums: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences North Carolina Museum of History North Carolina Museum of Art Marbles Kids Museum City of Raleigh Museum Historic Sites City Market Joel Lane House Mordecai House Montfort Hall Long View Center Dorton Arena The Village Subway Performing Arts: Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts Walnut Creek Amphitheatre Red Hat Amphitheater Raleigh Little Theatre Parks: William B. Umstead State Park Pullen Park JC Raulston Arboretum North Carolina State Fair
Sports	Carolina Hurricanes-NHL (PNC Arena) NC State Wolfpack-NCAA Division I (ACC) (Carter–Finley Stadium, PNC Arena) Carolina RailHawks-NASL Carolina Mudcats-MiLB A Rex Hospital Open-Nationwide Tour
Media	Newspapers: News & Observer Raleigh Downtowner Technician Indy Week Television: 4 WUNC (PBS - Chapel Hill) 5 WRAL (NBC) 8 WAUG-LD (Ind.) 11 WTVD (ABC) 17 WNCN (CBS) 22 WLFL (CW) 28 WRDC (MyNetworkTV - Durham) 30 WRAY (Ind./Jewelry TV - Wilson) 40 WUVC (Univision - Fayetteville) 50 WRAZ (Fox)
Transportation	Raleigh–Durham International Airport Capital Area Transit (CAT) Triangle Transit Roads: I-40 I-440 I-540 U.S. 1 U.S. 64 U.S. 70 U.S. 264 U.S. 401 N.C. 54 N.C. 50 N.C. 98 Rail: Amtrak Station Carolinian Silver Star Piedmont