The Big Dipper Ice Arena , also known as the Big Dipper, is a multifunctional arena located in Fairbanks , Alaska , USA . The arena is owned and operated by Borough Fairbanks North Star . Originally built as an aircraft hangar in Tanakross , the building was dismantled, transported to Fairbanks, and re-built in 1968 and has since been rebuilt twice. The arena is the home venue for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs hockey team. [1] The headquarters of the Department of Parks and Recreation Facilities of the local Fairbanks North Star borough are also located here.
| Ice Arena Ursa Major | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 1920 Lathrop Street, Fairbanks , Alaska 99701 |
| Open | 1968 |
| Owner | Borough Fairbanks North Star |
| Capacity | 1857 (seats) 2242 (total places) |
| Home team | Alaska Gold Kings (1975–1997) |
History
Until 1968, the structure, now known as the Ursa Major Ice Arena, was an aircraft hangar located in Tanakross , Alaska . Built during the Second World War , after it the building was of little use.
In 1968, Hez Ray, a teacher and trainer at Lathrop Graduate School, assembled a group of volunteers and organized a project to transfer the abandoned hangar to Fairbanks and transform it into an ice arena . [2] They bought the hangar for one dollar and, using equipment provided by local construction companies, dismantled the building and transferred it to Fairbanks . After its construction in Fairbanks , volunteers flooded the ice rink and erected stands. Heated lounges and changing rooms with showers were added in 1972-1973. The building itself remained unheated until reconstruction in the 1980s, when large portable heaters, commonly used in aircraft hangars, were installed.
Formed in 1975, the Alaska Gold Kings hockey team played their games here for two decades before moving to Colorado Springs , Colorado . For most of its existence, the World Eskimo-Native American Games took place here.
Notes
- ↑ Jenkins, Elizabeth . It can power an ice rink in Fairbanks. Could it power rural Alaska? , KTOO (March 24, 2017). Date of treatment July 8, 2017.
- ↑ Cole, Dermot. Historic Fairbanks: An Illustrated History. - HPN Books, 2002. - ISBN 978-1-8936-1924-1 .