An Indianapolis icon will begin it's departure from our skyline Wednesday morning. At the press conference to be held on the steps of the Dome's replacement, Lucas Oil Stadium, former Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut will flip a switch that will turn off the 100 horsepower fans that have kept the Dome inflated for 25 years and the roof will gently fall to the ground over the next 45 minutes.
Of course we couldn't let this happen without a few Dome fun facts...
- The roof surface area is 8 acres and is made of teflon coated fiberglass outside and canvas inside.
- The roof weighs 257 tons and stands 19 stories high (+/- 5 feet depending on weather conditions).
- There are 2 miles of steel cables that are stretched across the roof to hold it in place.
The IndyStar went through their files and put together a nice photo tribute of the construction as well as shots of the wide variety of events hosted in the building. From athletic competitions to tradeshows to religious gatherings to civic gatherings - the Dome really did it all.
And here is a blog post that Josh Hallet, one of our blogging consultants, posted after he visited us last year. Make sure you also check out his photos from his behind the scenes tour.
Once deflated, the roof will be removed and additional demolition of the building will take place over the next few months to make way for phase V expansion of the Indiana Convention Center.
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