The Dome Center is a fair and convention complex located in

Henrietta, New York Henrietta is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, New York (state), New York, United States, and a suburb of the city of Rochester, New York, Rochester. The population of Henrietta was 47,09 ...

, just outside the city of Rochester. It was originally part of a 60 acre site that hosted the annual Monroe County (NY) Fair between 1947 and 2013.

Facilities

Dome Arena

The Dome Arena, a 4,086-seat

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

with 2,164 permanent seats and of exhibit space. It was built in 1972 with what was at the time one of the largest self-supporting wooden roofs in the world, and was the home of the Rochester Zeniths of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

from 1978 to 1983. It is the site of

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

trade shows A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and c ...

, indoor

sporting events Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in a ...

conventions Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law ** Convention (political norm), uncodified legal or political tradition * Convention (meeting) ...

and other events. The Rochester Raiders indoor football team played there in 2010. Roc City Roller Derby has played there since 2009.

Rock concerts

On May 10, 1977, the blues rock band Foghat recorded their double platinum selling album ''

Foghat Live ''Foghat Live'' is a 1977 live album by Foghat. The release is Foghat's bestselling album with over two million copies sold, and certified double platinum in the United States. In 2007, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album, Foghat rel ...

'' at this arena.

Basketball

The arena's trademark was the experimental green textile and rubber basketball court, which at the time was billed as the "future of basketball courts", (the "

AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...

of basketball"). Although it was growing in popularity in Europe, the carpeted playing court never took off as a viable surface in the US, and a generation later "The Rug" remains an icon in the memories of those who recall the Dome Arena's short history as a professional sports venue. The Dome Arena was the host to one of the most unusual games in basketball history. In January 1979, the Rochester Zeniths were hosting the CBA All-Stars in the league's annual All-Star game. At halftime, a major blizzard knocked out power in western New York, postponing completion of the game until the following evening. Instead of merely completing the game by playing two more quarters, CBA Commissioner

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decided that they would continue the game from the point of the blackout, but play an additional four quarters for the new fans in attendance the second night. Thus, that game would be the only game in professional basketball history to feature six complete 12-minute "quarters". The hometown Zeniths won the game, 182–168. The Zeniths won CBA Championships in 1978–79 and 1980–81 while based out of the Dome Arena.

Pickleball club

In November 2023 the Dome completed a $500,000 reconfiguration for one singular purpose with 12 tournament-quality

pickleball Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played i ...

courts filling the circular floor. The ROC Dome Pickleball Club offered lessons and events and hosted tournaments. Other events the Dome previously hosted were transferred to Minett Hall. On July 24, 2024, the Dome Pickleball Club abruptly and permanently ceased operations. Following the short-lived pickleball era, the Dome Arena was permanently leased to a youth lacrosse organization. Image:DomeArenaEastView.JPG, Front Image:DomeArenaExeriorNorthwestView.JPG, Rear Image:DomeArenaInterior.JPG, Interior Image:DomeArenaPen.JPG, Livestock pen

Minett Hall

Minett Hall is an exhibit hall with of exhibit space and capacity of up to 3,000 people It is also used for

banquets A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

, trade shows, conventions and other events. Image:MinettHallExteriorSouthwestView.JPG, Southwest view Image:MinettHallInterior.JPG, Interior Image:DomeArenaFestivalSite.JPG, Festival site

Monroe County Fairgrounds

The Monroe County Fair Society organized its first fair in 1823, but it wasn’t until 1947 that it was moved to this more permanent location. The arena and grounds were operated by the Monroe County Fair and Recreation Association until 2015, when the land was sold to an area developer. The Fair was relocated to Monroe County’s Northampton Park in 2013, and again four years later when fair officials signed a 10-year lease with the Town of Rush.

Stock car racing

Between 1950 and 1958, a one-half mile clay oval on the premises annually hosted

Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (the top NASCAR series, known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 and 1970, then the NASCAR ...

(now NASCAR Cup) events, which were won by notable racing pioneers including series champions

Tim Flock Julius Timothy Flock (May 11, 1924 – March 31, 1998) was an American stock car racer. He was a two-time NASCAR series champion. His brothers Bob and Fonty Flock also raced in NASCAR, as did his sister Ethel Mobley, NASCAR's second female d ...

Lee Petty Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its f ...

, and

Herb Thomas Herbert Watson Thomas (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000) was a stock car racing, stock car racer who was one of NASCAR's most successful drivers in the 1950s. Thomas was NASCAR's first multi-time Cup Champion. Background Born in the sm ...

. The

NASCAR Sportsman Division NASCAR's Sportsman Division was formed in 1950, one year after the Strictly Stock (now NASCAR Cup Series) was launched and two years after NASCAR’s formation. It gave NASCAR three major series, along with the original Modifieds. It was replac ...

competed on a weekly basis throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, eventually appearing only during the annual fair. The last auto race at the venue was sponsored by the Super DIRT Series during the 1981 fair.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dome Center Buildings and structures in Monroe County, New York Convention centers in New York (state) Dome Centre Indoor arenas in New York (state) Sports venues in Monroe County, New York Tourist attractions in Monroe County, New York Sports in Rochester, New York 1972 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues completed in 1972 Basketball venues in New York (state) Indoor soccer venues in New York (state) NASCAR tracks Defunct motorsport venues in the United States Motorsport venues in New York (state)