Prairie View A&M University Athletics is one step closer to the first phase of its 15-year-construction, expanding the William “Billy” J. Nicks Building and Blackshear Stadium into an athletics complex.
The William “Billy” J. Nicks Building, also known as the Baby Dome, has been standing for over 20 years and serves as the central location for all major events that take place at Prairie View A&M University.
Many have expressed the need for an upgrade.
Some students have mixed emotions about the appearance of the Baby Dome.
Senior Kasee Brown said: “I think the Baby Dome is OK, but it can be better. I think this is the best thing we have right now as far as capacity, but it should be bigger. If it was a little bigger, more of the student body would be able to sit comfortably at events, as well as special guests who visit the university periodically.”
Fred Washington, the university’s athletic director, said that the Baby Dome currently has a holding capacity of 6,000 people, while the Memorial Student Center Auditorium holds approximately 2,000.
Washington also said that over the past 18 months, the university executive staff, students, community leaders, and several departments across campus have collaborated with Leo A. Daly Smith & Company Architects to develop a much-needed athletics complex.
The first phase will feature a new 15,000-seat football stadium, accompanying an Athletic Department Center and enhancements to the Baby Dome.
The three-phase plan is estimated to take a total of 15 years to complete. The university has to raise 50 percent of the capital to begin construction on the first phase, which will cost an estimated $66 million. PVAMU’s goal is to raise $33 million to begin working.
Panther family and friends have become involved with the effort to raise money.