The Yakima Valley SunDome is a 6,195-seat multi-purpose
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 ...
in
Yakima, Washington, United States. Located on the
Central Washington State Fairgrounds, it hosts sporting events, ice shows, horse shows, circuses, boxing and concerts, as well as trade shows and conventions. The stadium opened on January 16, 1990, and cost $14.8 million to construct.
The building was designed by architecture firm Loofburrow & Associates.
The building features a dome and was the second in the world to use a concrete sectional roof design (24 segments), the first being Seattle's
Kingdome.
It has of space and can accommodate two basketball courts laid end-to-end.
The SunDome initially had 5,200 permanent seats with expanded capacity of up to 8,000 for concerts.
History
The
Yakima County government had been interested in building a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue on the
Central Washington State Fairgrounds since the 1970s and proposed a $15 million bond issue in 1980 to fund construction of a 14,000-seat indoor arena. The proposal, named "Centra", was rejected by voters in the November 1980 election. A second attempt in 1985 was approved using $6.8 million in state funding and matches from local governments.
The SunDome opened on January 16, 1990, and hosted its first event—a
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...
concert—that same day.
The stadium's exterior was decorated in 1992 with a ring of 50,000 reflective tiles that comprise "Circle of Light", a public art installation designed by Richard C. Elliott; the ring's 24 sections include designs inspired by traditional
Yakama baskets. A minor renovation in 2002 added additional seats and upgraded the existing locker rooms and meeting rooms for the facility.
The roof was resurfaced in 2020.
Tenants and events
The SunDome hosts several annual events, including the
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)'s 1A and 2A high school basketball tournaments; WIAA B, BB, A, AA, AAA, & AAAA high school volleyball tournaments; and the WIAA Dance and Drill 2B, 1A, 2A & 3A state championships.
The stadium was the home of the
Yakima Sun Kings, a
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 ...
team, from 1990 to 2008; the team was later revived as the SunKings in the
North American Premier Basketball from 2018 to 2019. The SunDome has also occasionally hosted
indoor American football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American football, American or Canadian football, Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standa ...
, including the
Yakima Shockwave of the
National Indoor Football League
The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, ...
in 2001, the
Yakima Valley Warriors
The Yakima Valley Warriors were a professional indoor football team that played in the American Indoor Football Association in the 2010 season. The Warriors were based in Yakima, Washington. Their home games were played at the Yakima SunDome.
...
of the
American Indoor Football Association
American Indoor Football (AIF) is a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.
The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...
in 2010, and the
Yakima Canines of the
American West Football Conference in 2021.
On October 19, 2002, the
Seattle SuperSonics played a
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
preseason game at the SunDome against the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
. The Sonics won 79–73 in front of 5,002 spectators.
References
External Links
Official website page
Indoor arenas in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures in Yakima, Washington
Music venues in Washington (state)
Sports venues in Washington (state)
Basketball venues in Washington (state)
Sports venues completed in 1990
Tourist attractions in Yakima County, Washington
1990 establishments in Washington (state)
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