ST. LOUIS — The Dome at America’s Center downtown needs more than $150 million in repairs and upgrades over the next 10 years to keep up with modern expectations, according to a draft report produced for the agency that oversees the facility.
LED displays in the stadium bowl are 15 years old and well beyond their usable life, the report says. The speaker system is “right on the edge of unusable.†And the elevators and escalators will soon need extensive, costly maintenance to remain safe for patrons.
“It’s quite a bit,†Phil Torrisi, one of the agency’s board members, said Tuesday. “Quite a bit.â€
The report, commissioned by the Regional Convention and ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Complex Authority, puts a fine point on what board members and many observers already know:
The Dome, once a modern football palace home to the NFL’s “Greatest Show on Turf,†is now an old arena. Nearly 30 years after opening day, it still hosts assemblies for large conventions, Metallica and Beyoncé concerts, and even some lower-level professional football games, bringing tens of thousands of people to the city center.
People are also reading…
But without an incumbent NFL team pushing for top-tier improvements or sufficient revenues to make them, the facility has started to get creaky. It’s not going to get better without a big cash injection. And supporters say it needs to get better.
Regional leaders just poured more than $250 million into an expansion of the convention center, which connects to the Dome and relies on it to draw some of its biggest events. After months of delays and budget-busting cost overruns on the expansion, leaders are under pressure to draw as many big events as possible.
The St. Louis ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Commission also needs a healthy dome to attract big games. Commission president Marc Schreiber said the competition from newer facilities in cities like , and is tough and getting tougher. He said hosting another Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, like the Dome did in 2005, is probably out of reach at this point.
But with investment, he said, the arena could still draw significant events, like University of Missouri football games and Olympic swimming trials, that would bring a lot of people downtown to spend money.
“If we stay where we are,†he warned, “it’s going to be a lot more difficult.â€
But the Dome authority will likely need some help. It had $88 million in its account as of June 30, most of which comes from $70 million in proceeds from the Rams relocation settlement. And, right now, that’s all the facility has for repairs. Annual maintenance payments from the city, St. Louis County and the state of Missouri, long the authority’s lifeline, ended earlier this year.
“Right now we have no sources of income,†said Joe Blanner, the dome board’s secretary-treasurer. “And if we’re to tackle all of the items in this report, we’re going to have to figure out other sources of income.â€
Commissioners interviewed Tuesday they’re still discussing how to go about finding that money.
There’s talk of trying to sell naming rights on the facility again.
Financial firm Edward Jones, which paid the Rams to put its name on the dome, took its name off the roof after the team decamped for Los Angeles.
“It’s the no-name building,†said board member and restaurateur Chris Saracino. “If someone wants to be a good corporate partner in our region, it would be a great first step.â€
Saracino said the dome’s original financiers — the city, the county and the state — could also play a role.
Conner Kerrigan, a spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, said the office had not heard from the authority or discussedÌýfunding any improvements at the dome.
Doug Moore, a spokesperson for County Executive Sam Page, said the county, which is struggling with budget deficits, “has no additional funds to support the Dome.â€
And state officials could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
In total, the 57-page report from Tennessee-based consultancy Venue Solutions Group recommends spending $155 million on the dome through 2034, and the lion’s share of it before 2028.
Much of the bill would come from replacing technology, like the LED displays, failing video production and broadcast equipment, as well as old TVs described as “end-of-life.â€
The report also recommends pumping more than $40 million into maintenance and replacement of elevators and escalators, where consultants found leaking, rusting parts and an immediate need for some thorough cleaning.
The dome authority is planning to meet to review the report early next month.
Ìý
View life in St. Louis through the Post-Dispatch photographers' lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.