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39-686: The Monarchs played the majority of their home games in the arena from 1970 to 1977, before moving full-time to the Norfolk Scope from 1977 to 1990. The team returned to the Fieldhouse on a part-time basis in 1990, and played the majority of its season on-campus during the 2001–02 season, the last before moving into the Constant Center. In 1977 , it was the site of the final game of the ECAC Southern Region tournament ,

78-775: A National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC); the champion received a berth in the NCAA tournament . The venue hosted the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA) for some games in the 1970–71 season. The Squires had played the previous season in Washington, D.C. as

117-977: A cost of $ 35 million. Federal funds covered $ 23 million of the cost, and when it opened formally on November 12, 1971, the structure was the second-largest public complex in Virginia , behind only the Pentagon . Featuring the world's largest reinforced thinshell concrete dome (though eclipsed by the Seattle Kingdome from 1976 to 2000), Scope won the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects Test of Time award in 2003. Wes Lewis, director of Old Dominion University 's civil engineering technology program, called it "a beautiful marrying of art and engineering." Noted architectural critic James Howard Kunstler described

156-520: A cost of $ 3.5 million in 2014. This would result in additional restrooms and concession stands at the arena. There has been discussion about expanding the Norfolk Scope, by adding 5,000 seats and 24 luxury suites, in the near future, in order to remain competitive with neighboring venues in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states. In 2018, the city decided to move on from the renovation concept, which would total $ 200 million. In his 2019 State of

195-482: A history of American suburbia and urban development, The Long Emergency (2005), and Too Much Magic (2012). In The Long Emergency , he imagines peak oil and oil depletion resulting in the end of industrialized society, forcing Americans to live in smaller-scale, localized, agrarian or semi-agrarian communities. He uses speculative fiction to portray this type of future in World Made by Hand . Kunstler

234-549: A man whom Kunstler sees as showing "strength". He was also a promoter of the concept of a so-called " deep state " working to overthrow and thwart Trump. He endorsed Trump for re-election and declared that he intended to do "everything he can to prevent the Democrats from winning the election." In an interview with American Conservative , Kunstler attacked gay marriage , describing it as "cultural mischief" that would further damage "a struggling institution". He believes that

273-582: A more energy-efficient rail system, and he writes, "we have to get cracking on the revival of the railroad system if we expect to remain a united country." A 2020 article at New Geography described one of Kunstler's essays in American Conservative as a "misanthropic, pessimistically aggressive Malthusian screed", and commented that Kunstler's over-the-top act shows him to be "survivalist masquerading as an urban geographer". The article points to Kunstler's growing appeal to conservatives due to

312-559: A sports complex in Norfolk. Subsequently, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked Robertson to support federal funding for a multimillion-dollar cultural center in Colorado , and Robertson said he would if Johnson would support one in Norfolk. Williams and Tazewell was subsequently commissioned; they in turn commissioned Nervi. The complex was an important part of the first phase of Norfolk's post-World War II revitalization. A large section of

351-560: A sports venue in Virginia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Norfolk Scope Norfolk Scope is a multi-function complex in Norfolk, Virginia , comprising the 11,000-seat Scope Arena, a 2,500-seat theater known as Chrysler Hall , a 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m ) modular exhibition hall, and a 600-car parking garage. The arena was designed by Italian architect/engineer Pier Luigi Nervi in conjunction with

390-576: A town in Washington County, New York . In 1966, Kunstler graduated from New York City's High School of Music & Art and attended the State University of New York at Brockport , where he majored in theater. After college, Kunstler worked as a reporter and feature writer for a number of newspapers, and finally as a staff writer for Rolling Stone . During the 1970s and 1980s, Kunstler worked "a lot of odd jobs, from orderly in

429-422: Is fiddling his way to the apocalypse , one jig at a time." The paper described the book's scenario as "grim", with "an upside or two." Critiquing The Long Emergency , journalist Chris Hayes claimed in 2010 that while Kunstler makes valid points about the consequences of peak oil, he undermines his credibility with rhetoric and perceived misanthropy . Joseph Romm , a climate change expert and Senior Fellow at

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468-517: The 2020 United States presidential election was fraudulent, describing it as a "fraud-inflected election" on his website, and he suggests that the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol was the work of left-wing groups. In recent times, Kunstler has had financial problems and was described as "seethingly angry" about his writing income falling to only a few thousand dollars annually because of "the tidal wave of free content on

507-484: The Center for American Progress , stated that accelerating shifts toward renewable energy will maintain suburban lifestyles and that, contrary to Kunstler's arguments, "suburbia won't be destroyed by peak oil." Charles Bensinger, co-founder of Renewable Energy Partners of New Mexico, describes Kunstler's views as "fashionably fear-mongering " and uninformed regarding the potential of renewable energy resources to eliminate

546-538: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's and women's basketball conference championship tournaments since 2013. 36°51′11.79″N 76°17′12.20″W  /  36.8532750°N 76.2867222°W  / 36.8532750; -76.2867222 James Howard Kunstler James Howard Kunstler is an American writer, social critic , public speaker, and blogger. He is best known for his books The Geography of Nowhere (1994),

585-594: The Republican Party , describing them as "a gang of hypocritical, pietistic sadists, seeking pleasure in the suffering of others while pretending to be Christians, devoid of sympathy, empathy, or any inclination to simple human kindness, constant breakers of the Golden Rule, enemies of the common good." and also the Democratic Party and their "underhanded attempts" to get rid of Donald Trump ,

624-978: The Washington Caps , and the first two seasons in California as the Oakland Oaks . With a stage at one end, the Fieldhouse also hosted concerts, including Frank Zappa on April 22, 1980. In 2006, Tim Nolan set a world record at the venue, juggling eleven balls. The Fieldhouse was demolished 18 years ago in 2006 and in its footprint is the ODU Recreation and Wellness Center, a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m) multi-level fitness center. It has multiple gymnasiums and racquetball courts, an indoor track, pool, indoor climbing wall, and facilities for equipment rentals. 36°53′09″N 76°18′41″W  /  36.8858°N 76.3115°W  / 36.8858; -76.3115 This article about

663-482: The "age of skyscrapers is at an end", that no new megatowers would be built, and that existing tall buildings are destined to be dismantled. In his books that followed, such as Home From Nowhere , The City in Mind , and The Long Emergency (2005), he discussed topics in the context of a coming post-oil America. Kunstler says he wrote The Geography of Nowhere , "Because I believe a lot of people share my feelings about

702-660: The "overlap between libertarian conservatives and environmentalist zealots". In 2005, conservative writer Bill Kauffman called Kunstler the "scourge of suburbia," and a "slashingly witty Jeremiah ." In a 2008 review of Kunstler's weekly audio podcast, the Columbia Journalism Review described the KunstlerCast as offering "some of the smartest, most honest urban commentary around—online or off." The Albany Times Union reviewed Kunstler's book World Made by Hand , writing that "James Howard Kunstler

741-583: The (now defunct) local firm Williams and Tazewell, which designed the entire complex. Nervi's design for the arena's reinforced concrete dome derived from the PalaLottomatica and the much smaller Palazzetto dello Sport , which were built in the 1950s for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome . Construction on Scope began in June 1968 at the northern perimeter of Norfolk's downtown and was completed in 1971 at

780-625: The 1970s on, many times as a pay-per-view event. The biggest was Starrcade '88 in December 1988. The venue also hosted WCW 's Starrcade 1991 PPV & World War 3 PPV in November 1995 and 1996, featuring the 3 ringed battle royal. On April 27, 1998, during the Monday Night War , professional wrestling stable D-Generation X drove a jeep up to the doors of the venue during an episode of WCW Monday Nitro . The arena has hosted

819-517: The City address, Norfolk mayor Kenny Alexander announced plans to study the possibility of building a new arena, in a not yet named location. In March 2024, the city once again considered renovating Scope and potentially adding more seats. National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment had wrestling shows in Scope many times from

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858-499: The Future (2015), and The Harrows of Spring (2016). Kunstler has written articles for the American Conservative magazine. In his writings and lectures, he contends that there is no other alternative energy source on the horizon that can replace petroleum. He therefore envisions a "low energy" world that will be radically different from today's. This has contributed to his becoming an outspoken advocate for one of his solutions,

897-513: The University of Illinois, DePaul , Texas A&M , the USMA , and Rutgers University. As a journalist, Kunstler wrote articles for The Atlantic , Slate , Rolling Stone , The New York Times Magazine , and its op-ed page where he covered environmental and economic issues. Kunstler is also a supporter of the movement known as New Urbanism . His career peaked with the popularising of

936-483: The adjacent Chrysler Hall, a music and theater venue, home to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra . The arena's seating can be reconfigured to accommodate from 10,253 for sporting events up to 13,800 for concerts. With a concrete monolithic dome measuring 440 feet (130 m) in diameter and a height of 110 feet (34 m), the dome was, at the time of its construction, the largest of its kind in

975-770: The challenges of what he calls "the global oil predicament", and a resultant change in the "American Way of Life." He lectured at the TED Conference, the American Institute of Architects, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the National Association of Science and Technology, as well as at numerous colleges and universities, including Yale , MIT, Harvard, Cornell,

1014-477: The city's downtown was razed, and the Scope complex was to "anchor" its northern corner, with the Vincent Kling designed courthouse and civic complex anchoring the eastern edge of downtown. The arena is located on its 14-acre (5.7 ha) site above a raised plinth , below which is located a parking garage for 640 cars. The facility includes a 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m ) exhibit hall as well as

1053-402: The city's water table. The roof is a ribbed concrete dome, independent of seating bowl formed of sloped concrete beams supporting precast treads and risers which form the seating bowl. The perimeter of the dome roof is supported by a combination of vertical columns and inclined buttresses, which tie into a tension ring below ground. A concentric ring, approximately 7' 9" wide, is suspended from

1092-408: The concept of peak oil , for which he was a prominent spokesman, such as in the 2004 documentary The End of Suburbia . His 2005 book The Long Emergency became an oft-cited reference for the predicted imminent collapse of human civilisation. However, oil supplies increased due to fracking , and the collapse did not happen during the timeframe Kunstler predicted. Kunstler is a harsh critic of both

1131-624: The design as looking like "yesterday's tomorrow." The name "Scope", a contraction of kaleidoscope , emphasizes the venue's re-configurability. The facility logo (right), which features a multi-colored, abstracted kaleidoscope image, was designed by Raymond Loewy 's firm Loewy/Snaith of New York. After watching the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics on television, and seeing the Palazzo dello Sport and Palazzetto dello Sport , Brad Tazewell and Jim Williams, two Norfolk architects, solicited Senator A. Willis Robertson , father of Pat Robertson , to build

1170-613: The dome, for service and lighting needs. During preparations for the first hosting of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , a bear escaped its cage and ran across the wet paint on the floor of the unfinished Exhibition Hall below. During the first presentation in the Exhibition Hall of the Hampton Roads Automobile Show, visitors could spot bear tracks in the painted floor, between

1209-427: The exhibitions. (Source: The Virginian-Pilot ) The arena has undergone $ 11 million of renovations since 2003, including the replacement of a center-hung scoreboard with a matrix screen on each side with a center-hung scoreboard with LED video and matrix boards and two LED end-zone videoboards in 2008. A new glass wall has been installed, and is expected to be extended in order to expand the arena's main concourse at

Old Dominion University Fieldhouse - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-735: The psychiatric wing of the hospital to digging holes for percolation tests in housing subdivisions". In 1975, he began writing books and lecturing full-time. Kunstler's blog states that he has lectured at Harvard , Yale , Columbia , Dartmouth , Cornell , MIT , RPI , and the University of Virginia and has appeared before professional organizations such as the AIA , the APA , and the National Trust for Historic Preservation . Kunstler lectured on topics related to suburbia, urban development, and

1287-400: The subject have become "standard reading in architecture and urban planning courses". He describes America as a poorly planned and "tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities, and ravaged countryside that makes up the everyday environment where most Americans live and work." In a 2001 op-ed for Planetizen , he wrote that in the wake of 9/11 ,

1326-562: The subject, The Geography of Nowhere, discussed the effects of "cartoon architecture, junked cities, and a ravaged countryside". The book was described as a jeremiad by The Washington Post . Kunstler is critical of suburbia and urban development trends throughout the United States and is a proponent of the New Urbanism movement. According to Scott Carlson, reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education , Kunstler's books on

1365-448: The tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities, and ravaged countryside that makes up the everyday environment where most Americans live and work". He envisions a future where localized agriculture and production predominate, with little reliance on imports, in his 2008 social science fiction novel World Made by Hand . Three sequels have followed: The Witch of Hebron (2010), A History of

1404-448: The vaccine would kill people "steadily over the weeks and months" and went on to name hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as "effective" treatments. Over the course of the first 14 years of his writing career (1979–1993), Kunstler wrote seven novels. Since the mid-1990s, he has written four non-fiction books about suburban development and diminishing global oil supplies. According to the Columbia Journalism Review , his first work on

1443-461: The web". In addition, his "lucrative college speaking fees" have disappeared, which he blames on "the rising hysteria on campus against threatening ideas". Kunstler now uses Patreon to crowdfund his writing. In an interview with Doug Casey published on October 13, 2021, Kunstler called the COVID-19 pandemic a "scam", and on October 11 he published the debunked vaccine conspiracy theory that

1482-437: The world — and was displaced as the record holder after the construction of the Seattle Kingdome . After the demolition of the larger Kingdome in 2000, Scope reclaimed the title as having the world's largest reinforced thin-shell concrete dome . Supported by 24 flying buttresses , the arena roof encloses 85,000 sq ft (7,900 m ). With over 1,000 pilings, the facility was constructed 10 feet (3.0 m) below

1521-657: Was born in New York City to Jewish parents, who divorced when he was eight. His family then moved to the suburbs on Long Island . His biological father was a middleman in the diamond trade. Kunstler spent most of his childhood with his mother and stepfather, a publicist for Broadway shows . While spending summers at a boys' camp in New Hampshire , he became acquainted with a small town ethos that would later permeate many of his works. He lives in Greenwich ,

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