Superior Dome
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YooperDome | |
 Opposite sides of the Superior Dome | |
 Interactive map of Superior Dome | |
| Location | Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | Northern Michigan University |
| Operator | Northern Michigan University |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1991 |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Construction cost | $23.9 million |
| Tenants | |
| Northern Michigan Wildcats (NCAA) Football 1991–present Women's lacrosse 2016–present Women's track and field 2003–present | |
The Superior Dome is a domed stadium on the campus of Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It opened as the "world’s largest wooden dome" on September 14, 1991,[1] and is home to the Northern Michigan Wildcats football, women's lacrosse, and women's track and field teams, the NMU Wildcat marching band, and hosts a variety of other campus and community events.
The dome is 143 feet (44 m) tall, has a diameter of 536 feet (163 m), covers an area of 5.1 acres (2.1 ha) and has a volume of 16,135,907 cubic feet (456,918.0 m3). It is a geodesic dome constructed with 781 Douglas fir beams and 108.5 miles (174.6 km) of fir decking and is designed to support snow up to 60 pounds per square foot (2.9 kPa) and withstand 80-mile-per-hour (130 km/h) winds. It has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000 people, though the building can hold as many as 16,000 people. The 2010 edition of Guinness World Records listed it as the fifth-largest dome and largest wooden dome in the world.[2]
The construction was finished in two phases. Phase I was finished in August 1991 and included the construction of the domed complex. Phase II, completed in May 1995, added locker rooms, department offices, meeting rooms, concession areas, a retail store and other building amenities. Phase I of the project cost $21.8 million (equivalent to $44.6 million in 2024[3]) and was funded entirely by the State of Michigan. Phase II was completed for $2.1 million, with $800,000 in private donations and $1.3 million in loans (equivalent to $3.94 million, $1.5 million, and $2.44 million in 2024, respectively[3]). Total cost for the Superior Dome stands at $23.9 million (equivalent to $48.6 million in 2024[3]). The general contractor for Phase 1 was R.E. Dailey & Company (Perini Corp.), Southfield, MI. The architect was TMP Associates, Bloomfield Hills, MI.
