The multi-purpose facility, which opened in May of 1993, can seat up to 65,000 and is expandable to 72,000-plus seats. The rectangular shape and 12,555 retractable seats allow for 24 different set-up possibilities. The retractable seating system is the largest in the world and enables easy conversion into various configurations including concerts, sporting events, trade shows and-conventions.
The Alamodome is nestled on 57 acres just off Interstate 37 east of downtown. Within walking distance of the River Walk and Convention Center. The facility itself occupies 19 acres of the total site. The 9-acre roof hangs from four 100-foot masts. The ceiling height is 170 feet.
There are 32,000 square feet of meeting room space and 160,000 square feet of continuous exhibit floor space for large trade shows. Under-the-floor grids provide water, drainage and communications hookups every 30 feet.
There are also 16 field level conference rooms ranging in size from 1,148 to 3,885 square feet. Each is equipped with individually controlled light. room temperature and sound systems. The dome offers a state-of-the art sound and lighting system, broadcast pre-wiring and audio-visual capabilities.
The dome is the only facility in North America with two Olympic-size, permanent ice rinks. Both meet professional standards and specifications for hockey, figure skating and speed skating.
The dome contains 6,000 tons of steel, 140 miles of electrical wiring, five miles of drainage pipe and 33,000 pieces of pre-cast concrete.
There are also 25,000 square feet of general storage and a 4,200 square foot loading dock. The 10 truck bays and holding areas have direct access to the stadium floor.
There are approximately 2,100 on-site parking spaces and 12,000 parking spaces within a mile walking distance to the dome. Shuttle service is provided for major events and an underground bus depot on the north end of the building allows for easy drop off and pick up of passengers.
The Alamodome, which hosted more than 100 events and over 1.6-million guests during its first year of operation, is user-friendly and accessible to the disabled. It not only meets, but exceeds most ADA requirements.
ALAMODOME HISTORY
Some pertinent facts: Groundbreaking for the dome occurred in November 1990 on a 57 acre site east of Interstate 37 and south of the St. Paul Square.
More than 400,000 tons of dirt had to be moved during the dome's excavation, which was enough to fill 26,000 dump trucks.
Despite the unseasonably heavy rainfall during the construction, the project still managed to stay on schedule.
Due to the half-cent sales tax levied in 1989, the Alamodome is the only major domed facility in the country to be almost debt-free when it opened.
The sales tax reverted to its original level on March 31, 1994.
CONFIGURATIONS
The Alamodome is designed to meet the specific needs of a minimum of 24 different events and can accommodate small, medium or large groups. From football to ice skating; trade shows to conventions; rock concerts to classical performances, the Dome is the ideal venue for any event.
The basketball configuration seats up to 35,000-plus and takes 12 to 18 hours to set up. For football, the dome seats 65,000 and can accommodate up to 72,000 for bowl games. It takes approximately 18 to 24 hours to set up the football configuration.
The dome's rectangular shape provides greater flexibility for a variety of functions. The ceiling height of 170 feet gives the building a more human scale and provides a more intimate environment for trade shows and conventions.
With a 160,000 square foot floor surface, trade shows of up to 900 ten-by-ten foot booths are possible. Under-the-floor utility grids provide power, water. drainage and communications hookups every 30 feet. Compressed air outlets are also available at select floor grid boxes.
The ice rink and small assembly configurations provide seating for 32,500. With column-free spans inside. the dome means every seat has an unobstructed view. A retractable lower level seating system can be repositioned to form a number of configurations.
CLUB LEVEL
The Club Level is located on the fourth floor of the Alamodome. It is commonly referred to as the "200 Level" and is a private level with its own entrance on the east side of the facility.
The Club Level. permits only those guests holding a 200 level ticket to access the concourse. The concourse features carpeted walkways, upscale lighting fixtures and lounge areas with leather seating arrangements.
The north end of the concourse features the Alamodome Sports Club, a relaxed atmosphere with a view of the city skyline. The club serves a la carte entrees and a theme buffet. Only guests with a club seat or executive suite season tickets may access the Sports Club.
The Club Level also features 38 executive suites that seat from 12 to 16 people. The San Antonio Spurs market 34 of the executive suites on the north end of the club level and the Alamodome markets four of the suites located on the 5O-yard line of the club level.
The suites range in price from $50,000 to $78,000 per year on a three or five year license agreement. The price depends on location. The dome markets executive suites only on a per event basis and prices range from $1500 to $3000, depending on the event.
Each executive suite provides guests with plush theater-style seating, upscale furnishings refrigerator, two televisions, private phone, coat closet and wet bar area. For every two suites there is a personal suite attendant to service guests with their food and beverage needs.
There are approximately 6,000 available club seats when the stadium configuration is set up, and approximately 3,000 club seats when in arena configuration. Club seats are wider, padded seats with more leg room and guests receive "in-seat" wait staff service from the concession stands. Club seats on the north end are marketed by the Spurs.
The four club level concession stands offer guests liquor and a wider selection of entrees and snacks. Beside each stand are food court seating areas for guests to enjoy great views or relax while enjoying refreshments.
The club level's east elevator concourse area is the location of the concierge desk where attendants are on duty for every event to provide services and assistance as needed by guests. Also located on the east concourse of the club level is the broadcast media area featuring eight booths. Three of the booths house the sound booth, Alamodome command post and Spurs control booth.
MEETING FACILITIES
Whether a business meeting or a banquet -- formal or casual -- the Alamodome can accommodate small and large groups.
There are 16 carpeted meeting rooms on the floor level. The rooms range from 1,000 square feet to 3, 885 square feet. The combined square footage is 30,612.
Rooms can be set up in banquet, theater, or classroom fashion. Divider walls can increase capacity in four of the rooms under the theater style.
The Alamodome's lighting, sound, and audiovisual systems can handle elaborate presentations. Two types of lighting, incandescent with dimmers and fluorescent, are available.
There are four in-house caterers that are capable of meeting any and all catering needs. High-powered outlets (60 amps) are available to facilitate catering.
The dome has 160,000 square feet of continuous floor space.
A curtain, which is 388 feet wide by 80 feet tail, can be used to divide the dome into half or thirds for small exhibits or events.
With 160,000 square foot floor surface, trade shows of up to 900 ten-by-ten foot booths are possible.
An on-site warming kitchen is used by the caterers to prepare food for any occasion.
ICE RINKS
The Alamodome is the only such facility in the United States with two permanent ice rinks.
Each rink measures 200 feet by 98 feet and provides the Alamodome the ability to host multiple ice events.
The ice rink configuration provides seating for 32,500 patrons and takes approximately 30-35 hours to set up.
Each rink has 13 miles of piping underneath which carries an ethylene glycol and water mixture for freezing the ice.
Both rinks meet Olympic standards and specifications for hockey, figure skating, and speed skating. In addition to competitive events, they are also adaptable for ice shows.
With two professional-sized ice rinks, one can be used for practice while the other is used for performance. No other domed facility in the world has this option.
About 18,000 gallons of water is sprayed on the surface of each rink over a period of 74 hours to form the inch-and-a- half of ice.
The temperature for ice varies from event to event. For speed skating the ice is 20 degrees; for hockey, 22 degrees; and for figure skating, 24 degrees.
The Olympic festival in July 1993 was the first major ice event in the Alamodome. For 16 consecutive days, the Alamodome hosted U.S. Olympic figure skating, ice hockey, and speed skating.
The Alamodome set a U.S. Olympic attendance record by packing 26,692 into the stands to witness the finals of the ladies figure skating championships.
MEDIA FACILITIES
The Alamodome has state-of-the-art press facilities including a two-level press box with a broadcast box on one level and a press box on another level.
The broadcast box, which is located on the club level, can accommodate a total of 75 reporters.
The 3,140 square foot broadcast box area includes the scoreboard controls, the public address system controls, the national TV room, the replay room, the phone/equipment room, coaches' rooms and four broadcast rooms.
The 4,324 square foot press box, which is on the mezzanine level, has 103 slots for media. It has both work and catering rooms.
The dome has 57 camera positions throughout the building.
Video Monitors
The dome will has a broad array of multimedia capabilities, including cable, television, and telephone communications systems.
The whole system includes 425 video monitors; 91 camera locations; videoconferencing capabilities.
There are video monitors placed throughout the dome, which can be used for live and closed circuit events. The system also has the capability to carry regular network programming and it is set up for four in-dome channels.
TURF SYSTEM
The Alamodome's artificial turf comes in 28 sections that weigh 3,500 pounds apiece. A 175,000 machine called a grasshopper will roll out the turf and then pick if up. Once in place, the turf sections will be seamed together with zippers.
Astroturf is used in approximately nine other domed stadiums and 11 indoor facilities in the United States.
The turf consists of a knitted nylon ribbon pile and synthetic fiber backing which is adhered to a cushioned underpaid. The half-inch pile height gives the appearance of freshly mown natural grass.
The stadium surface is designed for a variety of athletic and recreational uses including football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby, physical education activities, marching band and military drills.
The turf's non-directional grain provides a uniform playing surface that produces ball roll that is consistent in all directions with excellent bounce and roll characteristics which is suitable for any sport.
The turf in the Alamodome has served as the playing field for many professional and college football games.
CONCESSION STANDS
There are 24 permanent concession stands in the dome which are operated by ARA Services. The concession stands feature all of the traditional favorites for sporting and entertainment events. Portable concession carts also sell popular items such as hot dogs, peanuts, sodas and beer.
Each permanent concession stand has a large walk-in refrigerated cooler measuring at least 10 feet by 7 feet.
Discover the facility that's setting the standards for a new generation of dome stadiums. The best design and the latest technology make the Alamodome a World-Class Facility. A place you want to play to an audience that will be there in numbers that add up to success.
In the city that's the capital of fun for the Southwest, you can play in a facility that accommodates from 5,000 to 70,000; where everyone has a great view and all areas are disabled accessible. From the Olympic-size ice sheets to a floor that accommodates exhibitions with 30' utility grids - The Alamodome has versatility with a capital "V".
Concerts, Exhibitions, Ice Shows, Motorsports, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Speed Skating - Small, Medium or Large - The Alamodome can take care of it all with grand style and service.
Information courtesy of the Alamodome
SPURS TAKING A BITE IN CONCESSION SALES
June 24, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVentures
Concessionaire Aramark is working hard to keep up with San Antonio Spurs fans' appetites as they pack the Alamodome to cheer the team in the NBA playoff games. In one night fans will go through 5,000 buckets of popcorn, 10,000 hot dogs, five tons of soda, 8,000 tee shirts, 25,000 souvenir cups, 2,000 hats and other goodies. The arena holds 20,557 for basketball. One subcontractor, Subway, sold out of food at two stands before the game began. Still, sales are reportedly only $3.72 per person during the playoffs compared with $5.01 during the regular season.
The Spurs get 60% of the concession take with the rest going to the Alamodome. Expenses come out of the Spurs' share. The Spurs divide their profit with Aramark.
ALAMODOME PASSES CHECK-UP
March 23, 2006
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
San Antonio's Alamodome got its first physical since it was built in 1993 and inspectors said
they found nothing of concern. The inspections will continue over the next few weeks as engineers check to see how the venue is holding up.
The building is scheduled for a new paint job this summer, so engineers want to inspect the building's infrastructure before potential problems are covered up.
The building's roof will get the most critical look with all welds, anchors and connections begin visually inspected and photographed.
SAN ANTONIO CONSIDERING FOOTBALL PROGRAM
December 18, 2008
Copyright 2008 MediaVentures
San Antonio, Texas - The University of Texas System regents are considering adding football to
the San Antonio campus.
The plan calls for the University of Texas at San Antonio to develop an athletic complex, add a
football program and position the school to move all its sports teams into a new conference with a higher caliber of athletics.
The proposed on-campus athletics complex is described in documents as an $84 million project.
It would include a football practice field and competitive playing facilities for baseball, softball, soccer, track and tennis.
Initially, UTSA would play in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA)
with a projected kickoff in fall 2011.
Actual games would be at the Alamodome.
Also, the plan calls for UTSA to upgrade all of its 16 sports teams, so the school eventually
would be in position to receive an invitation to a conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of Division I.
If the regents approve the plan, UTSA would be able to start searching for a coach or a football
program administrator immediately.
For football alone, the university would need to raise $15 million over the next eight years.
UTSA has secured more than $22 million in funding for the complex through public funds.
Included in that figure is $15 million from the recently approved extension of the venue tax. (San Antonio Express News)
SAN ANTONIO CONSIDERS ALAMODOME'S FUTURE
December 24, 2008
Copyright 2008 MediaVentures
San Antonio, Texas - After hosting three men's Final Fours since 1998, San Antonio didn't
make the cut to host the men's or women's college basketball championships from 2012 to 2016.
By 2017, the Alamodome will be nearly a quarter-century old. And, what to do with the
Alamodome will likely be a weighty issue for the city's next mayor. Moving forward, do city officials accept the dome's status as a second-tier venue and simply maintain it for bowl games, conventions and monster truck shows? Or do they continue the chase of future Final Fours by committing either to major upgrades for the current Alamodome or building a new one altogether?
The two most likely contenders for mayor next year, Juli‡n Castro and Diane Cibrian, quickly
discounted the logic of the latter option.
Minus an NFL owner signing a letter of intent to move a team here, the Alamodome will stay,
both candidates said.
"I don't believe we should cast aside the enormous investment we've made at the Alamodome"
just to chase Final Fours, Castro said of the facility that cost $193 million when it opened in 1993.
Noting that the city has invested about $16 million in dome improvements since 2004, Cibrian said
the dome still has community value and that she would not support razing it and building a new one.
But she agrees with the city's strategy of using hotel-motel taxes to continue maintenance and
modest improvements to keep the dome viable.
Mike Sculley, the county's director of community venue projects, said the last thing local
officials should do is panic about losing some Final Fours and overreach on a new facility.
"The dome is great for what the dome is," he said, noting that the stadium has roughly
one-quarter of the revenue-generating luxury suites planned for the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium.
"We need to maintain what we can maintain, spruce up what we can spruce up, when we can
afford it, and enjoy it for what it is," he added. (San Antonio Express News)
UPGRADES SOUGHT FOR ALAMODOME
May 28, 2009
Copyright 2009 MediaVentures
San Antonio, Texas - The city's chances of hosting more Final Four basketball tournaments
may hinge on whether the Alamodome can be upgraded and whether the traffic issues around the
venue can be solved, according San Antonio Sports, the group that hosts the games.
San Antonio hosted the men's Final Four in 1998, 2004 and 2008 and a women's Final Four in
2002. Another women's basketball championship is set to come back to San Antonio next April, but
after that, no finals will come to the city for at least six years.
The NCAA has indicated to the group that more amenities need to be added to the building
along with expanded seating capacity. The organization is also concerned about traffic congestion
before and after games.
SPURS SHOW INTEREST IN BRINGING SOCCER TO SAN ANTONIO
August 12, 2010
Copyright 2010 MediaVentures
San Antonio, Texas - The San Antonio Spurs and the San Antonio Independent School District
may come together on a stadium project that could lead to a professional soccer franchise in the city, according to the San Antonio Express News.
The school district now uses Alamo Stadium and has asked for $35 million in renovations to the facility, the newspaper said.
"Our renovations do not include a soccer stadium," spokeswoman Leslie Price told the Express News. "Should there be partners who come forward who want to do further renovations, we're open to it - that's just not the case right now."
SAISD and Spurs Sports and Entertainment have spoken in the past about working together to modify and modernize the 23,000-seat facility to add pro soccer there.
"Yes, we've had discussions about that, but it hasn't progressed any further than discussions," Price said. "We're moving ahead on our own because we really want to renovate that stadium."
SS&E, the holding company for the Spurs, the Silver Stars and Rampage, has pursued pro soccer here for years, but one obstacle is the lack of a suitable stadium or the money to build one.
The SAISD board is set to vote Aug. 16 on whether to go ahead with a $515 million bond election in November. Most of the money would go to school improvements and technology upgrades.
SS&E Vice President Leo Gomez told the newspaper there's no formal agreement with SAISD, although the company is interested in the stadium and helping to ensure it's in good repair.
SAISD athletic director Gil Garza said a deal with SS&E has been explored, "but that's putting the cart before the horse. This is way too preliminary."
Garza told the newspaper, he saw some drawings last spring of the stadium if SS&E became a partner.
"There are plans for suites and a restaurant. There wouldn't be a track, there would be a state-of-the-art sound system. It would be a whole new look for Alamo Stadium that would allow for concerts and multipurpose use, but my understanding is that it wouldn't be managed by SAISD. We'd have first rights for our events."
The $35 million for the stadium was not on the bond projects list originally recommended by a committee of residents, although the panel had looked at it. The administration recently added it.
District officials have shown photos of the dated bathrooms, lighting and seating in the stadium, built during the Depression by the Works Progress Administration. There also were photos of what a renovated stadium could be like, the Express News reported.
Last year, the United Soccer Leagues confirmed it was talking with SS&E about a team for San Antonio several years down the road, the newspaper said.
Considered the minor league in American pro soccer, USL has two men's divisions with a team in Austin, the Aztex. It also has leagues for women and younger players.
During the USL discussions, which also included representatives of the city and the county, league officials said they would need a stadium with seating for 5,000 to 10,000. Teams play about 17 home games a season.
