Fargodome

The building was originally planned to be modeled on the Tacoma Dome and have an inflatable roof. However, as the design evolved, it was decided to have a fixed hard roof, although the dome name stuck.[3]

Volunteers fill sandbags in the Fargodome during
the 2009 Red River flood

• November 1987: Fargo Parks Superintendent Bob Johnson and City Council President Ranen Nicholson proposed a plan for convention and athletic facilities in Fargo.
• January 1988: Proposed plan was modified to include a single stadium to be built on North Dakota State University land, that would be financed in part by a half-cent sales tax.
• December 1988: Voters approved half-cent sales tax
• April 1989: Architects hired and construction process begins
• December 1992: Fargodome opens
• January 1994: Hosts Snow Bowl NCAA Division II football all-star game between 1994 and 2000
• December 2002: Fargodome celebrates its 10th anniversary
• December 2006: Initial talks underway to attach a 6,000–9,000-seat stadium to the Fargodome, for use as a basketball arena for the North Dakota State University basketball teams, as well as smaller performances.
• March 2009: The Fargodome is used for the filling and storage of sandbags during the flood.
• August 31, 2012: The newly installed AstroTurf, funded by a $1 million donation from Gate City Bank and Fargodome reserve funds for total cost of $2.9 million, premiered in the North Dakota State Bison football team's first game of the season against Robert Morris. Gate City Bank’s donation led to renaming of the field after the company.[4]
• October 10, 2012: The Fargodome hosted a preseason NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves won the game 84–70.
• August 2016: Replaced 4 older corner video boards with new HD boards, and added 2 new large (100'x30') Video Screens at a cost of $7.7 million.[5]
• July 2022: Replaced the older version AstroTurf with a new version, funded by the Fargodome's reserve funds for a total price of $1.1 million, which also includes upgrades to the Magic Carpet system that rolls out the turf onto the stadium floor.[6]
• August 2023: Proposed renovation plans were unveiled for the Fargodome. The plans would add on a convention center space to the south side of the dome that would eliminate the south parking lot. The plans also called for a new upper level concourse in the southeast corner of the stadium, a remodel of the press box on the east side, removal of the never-used north side press box, and a new club level lounge at the top of the west side. Lastly, the project calls for a removal of Albrecht Boulevard on the west side of the dome, to make way for an addition to the building and move the tailgating lot closer to the stadium.[7] The proposed cost is $140 million and is planned to be paid for with $30 million from the Fargodome's reserve fund, as well as a quarter-cent city sales tax increase and a three percent lodging tax increase. Fargo residents will vote on the proposed renovation plan during a special election in December.[8]

The Fargodome has held events such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, USHRA's Monster Jam, Rib Fest, World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling, and other local, regional, and national events. The facility briefly played host to the Fargo Freeze Indoor Football League team in 2000, though the team played just one season.[9]

The Fargodome is currently studying an expansion of its permanent seating. The current capacity is 18,700 with an additional 100 seats to be added during the winter 2015.[19] The addition of 5,000 to 7,500 seats has been discussed since 2011, but is now being seriously considered after several straight years of sold out NDSU Bison football games. That would bring the total capacity for football games to around 25,000. The additional seating would require major structural changes to the dome, including moving the press boxes from the east side to the west side. The west side has been reinforced and could handle extra levels, whereas the east side has a lobby that was not designed to bear any extra load.

In summer 2016, the stadium video boards were replaced with 12 new interior displays featuring SMD LED technology including two large 30'x100' High Definition video/scoreboards on each endzone, 12'x24' screens behind those large screens for those seated behind the board, and four large 20'x22' High Definition video boards (one in each corner), the $7.7 million project also provided for four ribbon displays on the seating fascia 3' high and 33' long along with a portable 15' x 25' screen which can be moved around on gameday, the project also renovated the electronics room and provided for new computer and graphics technology. These screens replaced the 6 old boards installed in 2002. In total, the new boards provide for 8,500 square feet (790 m²) of LED boards in the dome. The contract also provided for an increase from 3 to 5 High Definition cameras for additional angles, one of the cameras has a 55x extra zoom for close up play.

In the summer of 2022, the stadium replaced its aging AstroTurf with a newer version. It cost the Fargodome $1.1 million, which it paid for using the stadium reserve funds, that also included upgrades to the Magic Carpet system that rolls out the turf onto the stadium floor.

The Fargodome during a North Dakota State Bison football game

In 2011, the Fargodome was ranked as the 49th best stadium in college football by BleacherReport.com.[20] The article states

There aren't many indoor venues in college football, but the few that do exist at the non-FBS level are very unfriendly to any visiting team. That effect is only amplified in a playoff atmosphere.

The Fargodome is routinely ranked as one of the loudest college football stadiums in the country. On December 14, 2012, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead measured the Fargodome crowd noise from the press box during an FCS playoff semifinal game between North Dakota State and Georgia Southern. According to The Forum, the maximum crowd noise exceeded 111 decibels, and the decibel meter consistently read 102–106 during the game.[21] During a 2013 playoff game between North Dakota State and Furman, the crowd noise was measured at 115 decibels.[22]

• List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums

• Official website

46°54′10.93″N 96°48′5.58″W