The stadium was originally named the Hoosier Dome until 1994 when RCA paid $10 million for the naming rights for 10 years, with two 5-year options to RCA at a cost of $3.5 million if invoked. The stadium seated 56,127 for football, the smallest in the NFL. Modifications were made to the stadium in 1999 to expand the suites and add club seating. Before that, the maximum seating for a football crowd was 60,272. The stadium was built to lure a National Football League team to Indianapolis, and while still under construction, the Baltimore Colts took the bait on March 29, 1984.
The Dome was officially dedicated on August 11, 1984, as a sellout crowd watched the Indianapolis Colts defeat the New York Giants in an NFL preseason game. The Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears played a preseason game at the Hoosier Dome on August 26, 1984, which had been scheduled prior to the Colts moving in.
The football playing surface was originally AstroTurf, and replaced with FieldTurf in 2005.
The Colts moved into the new, retractable-roof, Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2008 NFL season. The RCA Dome was replaced by additional space for the adjacent Indiana Convention Center. The new convention space connects to Lucas Oil Stadium in much the same way that the existing Indiana Convention Center had been connected to the RCA Dome (although the new connecting walkway now passes under a railroad track).
Demolition
On September 24, 2008, the roof of the Dome was deflated, which took about 45 minutes. The building itself was imploded on December 20, 2008, and was featured on the second series premiere of the National Geographic show Blowdown.
An Indianapolis nonprofit, People for Urban Progress, rescued 13 acres (5.3 ha) of the Dome roof. They work with local Indianapolis designers to recycle the material into community shade structures and art installations, as well as wallets, purses and bags.
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