The shared blueprint behind two Florida arenas and a flexible inflatable roof
In short: In 1975, two Florida universities faced a shared financial hurdle. The University of Florida and the University of South Florida combined funds to create a budget-friendly, shared blueprint for new indoor athletic centres, both utilising a distinctive air-inflated roof.
The Yuengling Center, originally known as the USF Sun Dome, began construction in November 1977. To stretch limited state funding, USF and the University of Florida in Gainesville utilized a shared 'core unit' design for their respective arenas. This design featured a flexible, inflatable roof made of Teflon, maintained by a system of blowers. While the sister facility, the O'Connell Center, was built with additional spaces for gymnastics and swimming, the Sun Dome was more streamlined, eventually adding 'The Corral' for volleyball in 1995.
The construction of the $12 million arena faced significant hurdles when cracks appeared in the precast concrete support beams. Despite these delays, the Sun Dome opened in November 1980, just weeks after the O'Connell Center. Over the decades, the facility has undergone massive transformations. In 2000, the original inflatable Teflon roof was replaced with a conventional hard dome during an $8 million renovation. A much larger $35.6 million project, completed in April 2012, reconfigured the seating for ADA compliance, added a new dining hall, and earned the building LEED Silver certification.
Beyond university athletics, the arena has served as a cultural landmark for Tampa. From its first concert by Alice Cooper in 1980 to hosting legends like Madonna, U2, and Elton John, it was the region's premier concert venue until 1996. It even served as a global stage for the WWE ThunderDome in 2021, a bio-secure, closed-door production necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the arena carries the Yuengling name following a 10-year agreement reached in 2018.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Yuengling Center
- Also: Wikidata — Yuengling Center · CC0
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