Happy Birthday Roberts Stadium

(dazzlejunction.com)

55 years ago today, Roberts Stadium hosted its first event- the Harlem Globetrotters. After a long and lengthy construction period that had started on March 18, 1955 (my grandpa was part of the construction crew), the arena was ready to roar.

At the time, it was known as "Municipal Stadium," but it would only take a month and change (Dec 1, 1956 to be exact) before the venue would be known as Roberts Stadium. 9,000 fans attended the game between Purdue and Evansville College where the arena was officially dedicated to mayor Hank Roberts.

While not all of what you see on Roberts Stadium is original, most of it still is. If you take a look at Roberts Stadium, you will see that the original part of the building which contains the bricks and steel structure that forms the triangle top of the roof is dark brown, while the newly added parts of Roberts Stadium found on the outside of the building contain a tan/burnt orange look...



The important thing to remember is that the original steel roof structure is still there after all of these years. Not only is it still there, it's still healthy as the HNTB report clearly states "The existing Roberts Stadium building appears to have little or no observed or reported structural damage."

The Courier & Press claimed that the windows have fogged up due to air conditioning and system failures. But if you look at the photos, you will see that only 1 or 2 windows at most need to be cleaned...





In fact, you can see right through most of the windows....



So 55 years later, we are back to square one. We are fighting those who back in the day were calling Roberts Stadium, "Hank's Tank." We are fighting those who don't believe in constructing stadiums, ballparks, and arenas. Lastly, we are fighting to make sure that Hank Roberts and his administration are still remembered by keeping the name Roberts Stadium active and alive.

At the city council debates last Wednesday, we heard a lot of cut and dry responses to Roberts Stadium. While I'm thoroughly satisfied in the 4 candidates on the right (thank you again Lon Walters for mentioning indoor football, soccer, and basketball), overall, we never heard the name Ralph Legeman and we never heard the name Hank Roberts.

Do the candidates who oppose Roberts Stadium understand what those who support Roberts Stadium are fighting for? Do they understand that Ralph Legeman is THE architect who patented the Indiana Fieldhouse design? Do they understand that this design has taken Indiana basketball to a level no other type of basketball has been too? Do they understand that Hank Roberts sacrificed his political career so that Roberts Stadium could be built?

Those are the types of things that we are fighting for, and make no mistake, we are the right side of this battle. It's gotten so bad now that those who oppose Roberts Stadium are running from us...

1. We presented the idea of raising the floor to lower the costs of maintenance. They refused to study this issue while instead opting to study Lloyd Pool.

2. I rounded up an investor who is willing to bring indoor soccer, indoor football, minor league basketball, and mid-sized concerts to Roberts Stadium to couple with high school basketball and youth sports tournaments. They responded with the idea that the Ford Center has curtains that can lower the capacity to 6,000 seats. The problem is, is that those curtains don't make renting the Ford Center any more attractive to mid-sized tenants who are on a limited budget. The investor has told me point blank he will not go into the Ford Center. Roberts Stadium opponents have ignored these basic facts.

3. I compiled a list of fundraising ideas. I also got a commitment from the investor to do concerts to raise funds for Roberts Stadium. As usual, the other side stuck to their idea that you have to elect them and let them assemble a committee next year to get anything done with Roberts Stadium.

4. Roberts Stadium opponents have argued that no one wants to support Roberts Stadium unless it's making hand over fist money. Roberts Stadium supporter Sherman Stevens getting over 150 people to place Save Roberts Stadium yard signs in their yard proves otherwise.

5. We have written into the C&P, the CCO, and to our government officials with ideas and support for Roberts Stadium. The other side has failed to tell us how they would mix a new park with a virgin forest, how they would pay for any new project, and how they would finance maintenance of any new project. Basically, they just want Roberts Stadium gone and they want you to believe it will be free to demolish and cheap to build something else.

55 years later, are you willing to renew the battle for Roberts Stadium? Are you willing to follow mayor Hank Roberts down the path of progress? Are you willing to put Evansville first over your own needs and wants?

If you so, join the Save Roberts Stadium movement in wishing Roberts Stadium a HAPPY 55TH BIRTHDAY!

(sacredwaste.com)