The RCA Dome was Indianapolis’s air-supported dome stadium at 100 South Capitol Avenue, home to the Indianapolis Colts from 1984 until the Colts moved to Lucas Oil Stadium in 2008. Opened as the Hoosier Dome and renamed after RCA bought naming rights in 1994, it was demolished by implosion on December 20, 2008, after 24 NFL seasons.
This guide covers everything people search for about the RCA Dome: its changing capacity over two decades, the engineering behind its 257-ton teflon-coated roof, the events that made it a Midwest sports landmark, exactly why and how it came down, and what stands on the site today.
Quick Answer
The RCA Dome (originally the Hoosier Dome) was an air-supported domed stadium in Indianapolis that served as the Indianapolis Colts’ home from 1984 to 2007. It was demolished by implosion on December 20, 2008, to expand the attached Indiana Convention Center — the Colts had already moved into the newly built Lucas Oil Stadium that August.
Stats at a Glance
Team(s): Indianapolis Colts (NFL, 1984–2007) • Location: 100 South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana • Opened: August 5, 1984 • Closed: February 26, 2008 • Demolished: December 20, 2008 • Capacity: ranged from 60,127 at opening down to 55,531 in its final seasons (2006–2008) • Construction Cost: $77.5 million • Notable Events: 4× NCAA Men’s Final Four, WrestleMania VIII (1992), 1985 NBA All-Star Game, 2006 AFC Championship Game.
Engineering Marvel of the 1980s
The RCA Dome’s air-supported roof was its defining feature. Rather than steel trusses or concrete, a teflon-coated fiberglass membrane was kept aloft purely by slightly pressurized air inside the building — a design by structural engineer Geiger Engineers. The ceiling peaked at 193 feet (varying up to 5 feet with weather) and the entire roof weighed 257 tons. Architects HNTB and Browning Day Pollack Mullins Inc. integrated the structure directly into the adjacent Indiana Convention Center, with general contractor Huber, Hunt & Nichols handling construction, making it one of the few NFL facilities designed as part of a convention complex rather than as a standalone venue.
The playing surface changed over the dome’s lifetime: AstroTurf served from 1984 to 2004, then FieldTurf replaced it for the final three seasons.
RCA Dome Capacity: How It Changed Over the Years
The RCA Dome’s football capacity was not fixed — it shrank several times as the building was reconfigured. It opened at 60,127 in 1984, held near that level (60,129 to 60,567) through the late 1990s, then dropped to 56,127 for the 1999–2002 seasons, 55,506 for 2003–2005, and 55,531 for its final seasons in 2006–2008. That made it one of the smaller capacities in the NFL by the time it closed, a fact that occasionally fed debates about Indianapolis’s market size even as the Colts remained consistently competitive on the field.
Two Decades of Marquee Moments
Beyond Colts football, the RCA Dome built a reputation as one of the Midwest’s premier event venues. It hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four four times — in 1991, 1997, 2000, and 2006 — as well as the 2005 Women’s Final Four. WrestleMania VIII drew a crowd of 62,167 in 1992, the largest single-event attendance in the dome’s history. The 1985 NBA All-Star Game (43,146 attendees) and the gymnastics and handball competitions of the 1987 Pan American Games also took place under its roof.
The dome’s final football season ended with the Colts claiming their first championship as an Indianapolis franchise, defeating the Chicago Bears 29–17 in Super Bowl XLI in Miami. The pivotal 2006 AFC Championship Game — a Colts comeback win over the New England Patriots, 38–34 — was played at the RCA Dome itself, and remains one of the most memorable games ever staged there.
Why and How the RCA Dome Was Demolished
The RCA Dome closed on February 26, 2008, once the Colts and the Indiana Convention Center’s tenants had a new home ready next door: Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened that August a block south of the dome’s site. With the Colts gone, the dome no longer justified its footprint, and the Indiana Convention Center needed the space to expand its exhibit halls.
Demolition happened in two stages. On September 24, 2008, crews deflated the air-supported roof over roughly 35 minutes, removing the structure’s signature feature before touching the building itself. Then, on December 20, 2008, Controlled Demolition, Inc. imploded the remaining concrete bowl in a controlled implosion that leveled the structure in under half a minute — a demolition that later appeared on the National Geographic series Blowdown.
What Happened to the Roof — and What Replaced the Dome
Rather than send the dome’s massive fiberglass roof to a landfill, the Indianapolis nonprofit People for Urban Progress rescued roughly 13 acres of the material and repurposed it into bags, wallets, and other durable goods, giving the RCA Dome an afterlife well beyond its demolition.
On the football side, Lucas Oil Stadium fully replaced the RCA Dome as the Colts’ home starting in 2008. The dome’s own footprint, however, wasn’t rebuilt as a stadium — it became additional exhibit space for the expanded Indiana Convention Center, the same complex the dome had always been physically attached to. So while the Colts play a block away at Lucas Oil Stadium, the literal site at 100 South Capitol Avenue is convention center floor space today.
RCA Dome FAQs
Why was the RCA Dome demolished?
It was demolished in December 2008 to allow expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, which was directly attached to the stadium. The Indianapolis Colts had already relocated to the new Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened in August 2008.
What was the RCA Dome originally called?
It was originally called the Hoosier Dome when it opened in 1984. The name changed to RCA Dome in 1994 after electronics company RCA paid $10 million for 10-year naming rights, with two 5-year renewal options at $3.5 million each.
Did the RCA Dome ever host a Super Bowl?
No. The RCA Dome never hosted a Super Bowl, though it was home to the Indianapolis Colts when they won Super Bowl XLI following the 2006–07 season — that game was played in Miami. Indianapolis later hosted Super Bowl XLVI in 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
What was the RCA Dome’s seating capacity?
Capacity changed several times: it opened at 60,127 in 1984 and was reduced in stages to 55,531 by its final seasons (2006–2008), making it one of the smaller-capacity stadiums in the NFL by the time it closed.
Is the RCA Dome still standing?
No. It was imploded on December 20, 2008, after its air-supported roof was deflated and removed that September. The site is now part of the expanded Indiana Convention Center.
What happened to the RCA Dome’s roof material?
About 13 acres of the teflon-coated fiberglass roof were salvaged by the Indianapolis nonprofit People for Urban Progress and repurposed into bags, wallets, and other goods rather than being discarded.
Who designed and built the RCA Dome?
HNTB and Browning Day Pollack Mullins Inc. served as architects, Geiger Engineers designed the air-supported roof structure, and Huber, Hunt & Nichols was the general contractor. It cost $77.5 million to build and opened August 5, 1984.
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