Cajundome

Cajundome
Construction

Location	444 Cajundome Boulevard Lafayette, Louisiana 70506
Owner	University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Operator	Cajundome Commission
Capacity	Basketball: 11,550 Ice Hockey: 11,433 Concerts: 13,500^[1] Pro Wrestling: 12,121
Surface	Multi-surface
Broke ground	January 27, 1982^[2]
Opened	November 10, 1985^[3]
Construction cost	$60 million ($132 million in 2016 dollars^[4])
Architect	Neil Nehrbass
Structural engineer	J.B. Mouton & Sons^[5]
General contractor	Blunt Brothers Corp.^[6]
Tenants
Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (NCAA) (1985–Present) Louisiana IceGators (ECHL) (1995–2005) Lafayette SwampCats (EISL) (1997–1998) Lafayette Roughnecks (af2) (2001) Louisiana IceGators (SPHL) (2010–2016) Lafayette Wildcatters (SIFL) (2010)

Cajundome (2011 photo)

The Cajundome is a 13,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home to the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball (as well as the Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball program when the men and women play doubleheaders), and the Louisiana high school basketball state championship.

The arena also hosts many regional concerts (seating for concerts 8,481 to 13,500) and special events, such as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events and the annual outdoor Cajun Heartland State Fair, an eleven-day state fair that attracts over 175,000. The facility is a recognizable Lafayette landmark that was built by the State of Louisiana, funded by the City of Lafayette, and is owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and managed by the Cajundome Commission.^[7]

From the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s it was home to the ECHL's now-defunct Louisiana IceGators. During that time, the arena earned the nickname 'The Frozen Swamp'. The Cajundome has been home to the Lafayette SwampCats of the EISL and the Lafayette Roughnecks of the af2. It also hosted the 1998, 1999, and 2007 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournaments. The arena also hosts the annual Beta Club Louisiana state conventions.

Development

The stadium was first proposed in 1978 by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, then headed by journalist Ron Gomez, a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980-1989. The project was authorized during the administration of Governor David C. Treen and completed in 1985, during the administration of Mayor William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr., at a cost of $64 million.

Gomez envisioned a building for both university and municipal needs. In his autobiography, Gomez describes the project and its architect, Neil Nehrbass of Lafayette, accordingly:

"Several of his peers openly questioned Nehrbass' ability to handle such an immense project. They had a good basis for their anxiety since Neil had never taken on such a colossal building. He was known, rather for his non-traditional and sometimes avant-garde designs. Nehrbass and I had been acquainted many years, and he recognized my passion for this project. We talked at great length about the building and the uses for it. Neil was the consummate artist. He dressed flamboyantly, chain smoked gold-tipped, pastel-colored cigarettes which he imported from England and was definitely not a sports fan. He had never attended a USL [since UL Lafayette] basketball game. But he was enthusiastic about this new project and visited the recently-opened domed facility in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Madison Square Garden in New York City to gain insight on how he would make the Lafayette structure unique."

^[2]

Louisiana IceGators

The Louisiana IceGators of the East Coast Hockey League played host in the Cajundome from 1995 to 2005. In 2005, the franchise folded due to financial problems and drops in attendance after the IceGators were in the Top 4 for attendance in the ECHL. In 2009, Danny Smith, a local businessman, decided to bring back the Louisiana IceGators but this time in the Southern Professional Hockey League. A few months after Smith bought it, the franchise was sold to E.C. "Chuck" Anselmo, Jr. and E.C. "Chuck" Anselmo, III. In their first season, the IceGators played at Blackham Coliseum. In their second season, the IceGators moved to the Cajundome. In early 2016, the Louisiana IceGators and the SPHL announced that the IceGators would suspend operations for the 2016-17 season. It is currently unknown if the IceGators will play again in the 2017-18 season.

Convention Center addition

In 2002 a new convention center addition to the arena was built. The new addition added 37,301 square feet (3,465 m²) of exhibit hall space to the Cajundome's 40,000 square feet (3,716 m²) of arena floor space plus 39,685 square feet (3687 m²) of meeting space including a 15,682 square foot (1457 m²) ballroom, 12,159 square feet (1130 m²) of prefunction space and a 17,590 square foot (1630 m²) outdoor mall holding up to 2,118 for outdoor events.

Use as a shelter

In 2005, following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and soon after Hurricane Rita, the Cajundome became one of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's evacuee shelters. Staffed by Red Cross, Salvation Army, Americorp and a host of local charities, the facility became a center of relief for thousands. The recently opened Convention Center addition was also utilized as a distribution logistics point and also housed a Special Needs Clinic. This clinic served those needing additional care not deemed urgent or emergency by local area hospitals.

References

↑ http://www.cajundome.com/az.aspx
1 2 Gomez, Sr., Ronald J. (2000). "8". My Name Is Ron, and I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative. Lafayette, LA: Zemog Publishing. pp. 73, 95. ISBN 0-595-86001-X. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
↑ http://www.katc.com/news/cajundome-turns-25-today-/
↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
↑ Weingardt, Richard G. (May 1, 2013). "William J. Mouton: Tube Structure Pioneer and Foundation Innovator". Structure Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
↑ "A Concrete Achievement". Engineering News-Record. New York City: McGraw-Hill. 213 (1): 77. 1984. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
↑ Mission Statement of Cajundome

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cajundome.

Official website

Coordinates: 30°13′6.4″N 92°2′20.6″W / 30.218444°N 92.039056°W / 30.218444; -92.039056

Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball

Venues	Earl K. Long Gymnasium (1939–1950) Blackham Coliseum (1950–1985) Cajundome (1985–present)

Culture & lore	Cayenne "Ragin' Cajuns Fight Song" NCAA sanctions

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Links to related articles

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Athletics

Overview: Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (Conference)

Teams	Baseball Men's basketball Football Softball

Facilities	Cajundome Cajun Field Earl K. Long Gymnasium M. L. Tigue Moore Field

Misc.

Basketball arenas of the Sun Belt Conference

George M. Holmes Convocation Center (Appalachian State)
Convocation Center (Arkansas State)
HTC Center (Coastal Carolina)
Hanner Fieldhouse (Georgia Southern)
GSU Sports Arena (Georgia State)
Jack Stephens Center (Little Rock)
Cajundome (Louisiana–Lafayette men)
Earl K. Long Gymnasium (Louisiana–Lafayette women)
Fant–Ewing Coliseum (Louisiana–Monroe)
Mitchell Center (South Alabama)
College Park Center (Texas–Arlington)
Strahan Coliseum (Texas State)
Trojan Arena (Troy)

Southern Professional Hockey League

Teams	Columbus Cottonmouths Evansville Thunderbolts Fayetteville FireAntz Huntsville Havoc Knoxville Ice Bears Louisiana IceGators (suspended) Macon Mayhem Mississippi RiverKings Pensacola Ice Flyers Peoria Rivermen Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Arenas	Berglund Center (Rail Yard Dawgs) Cajundome (IceGators) Carver Arena (Rivermen) Columbus Civic Center (Cottonmouths) Cumberland County Crown Coliseum (FireAntz) Ford Center (Thunderbolts) Landers Center (RiverKings) Macon Coliseum (Mayhem) James White Civic Coliseum (Ice Bears) Pensacola Bay Center (Ice Flyers) Von Braun Center (Havoc)

Seasons	2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

President's Cup William B. Coffey Trophy Other professional hockey leagues

NCAA Division I college basketball venues in Louisiana

The American	Devlin Fieldhouse (Tulane)

Conference USA	Thomas Assembly Center (Louisiana Tech)

SEC	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (LSU)

Southland	Burton Coliseum (McNeese State) Lakefront Arena (New Orleans) Prather Coliseum (Northwestern State) Stopher Gym (Nicholls State) University Center (Southeastern Louisiana)

Sun Belt	Cajundome (Louisiana-Lafayette) Fant–Ewing Coliseum (Louisiana-Monroe)

SWAC	F.G. Clark Center (Southern) Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center (Grambling State)

Music venues of Louisiana

Arenas/Stadiums	Alario Center Baton Rouge River Center Arena BREC Memorial Stadium Burton Coliseum Cajundome CenturyLink Center F.G. Clark Center Fant–Ewing Coliseum Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center Harang Jr. Municipal Auditorium Hirsch Memorial Coliseum Houma Terrebonne Civic Center Ike Hamilton Expo Center Independence Stadium Lakefront Arena Lamar Dixon Expo Center Mercedes-Benz Superdome Monroe Civic Center Pete Maravich Assembly Center Pontchartrain Center Prather Coliseum Rapides Parish Coliseum Shrine on Airline Smoothie King Center Stopher Gym Sudduth Coliseum Tad Gormley Stadium Thomas Assembly Center Tiger Stadium University Center Yulman Stadium

Concert Halls	Baton Rouge River Center Jefferson Performing Arts Center LSU Tiger Band Hall Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts Orpheum Theater RiverView Theater Saenger Theatre Shaw Center for the Arts

Historic venues	Congo Square Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium

Outdoor venues	Champions Square Greek Theatre New Orleans City Park New Orleans Fairgrounds

Theaters and clubs	Carver Theater Civic Theatre Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts House of Blues The Howlin' Wolf Joy Theater Maple Leaf Bar Preservation Hall Rock n' Bowl Snug Harbor State Palace Theatre Tipitina's

Festivals	Bayou Country Superfest DeltaFest Essence Music Festival Festival International French Quarter Festival Highland Jazz & Blues Festival New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Satchmo SummerFest Voodoo Experience

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.