Roberts Municipal Stadium, commonly known as Roberts Stadium, was a multipurpose arena located at 2600 East Division Street in Evansville, Indiana. Opened in 1956, the stadium served for more than half a century as one of Evansville’s primary sports and entertainment venues and was the longtime home of the University of Evansville Purple Aces men’s basketball team.
For generations of Evansville residents, Roberts Stadium was closely associated with Purple Aces basketball, concerts, graduations, circuses, professional sports and other major community events.
The arena closed in 2011 following the opening of the Downtown Evansville Ford Center and was demolished in 2013, despite an organized effort by residents who sought to preserve and repurpose the building.
Opening and Early Years
Roberts Stadium opened on October 28, 1956, with an exhibition basketball game featuring the Harlem Globetrotters. More than 8,500 people attended the opening event.
The stadium was named in honor of Henry O. “Hank” Roberts, an Evansville businessman and civic leader who played an important role in bringing the arena to the city.
Designed by noted arena architect Ralph Legeman, Roberts Stadium became the new home of University of Evansville basketball and replaced the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum as Evansville’s principal large indoor venue.
Purple Aces Basketball
Roberts Stadium became synonymous with University of Evansville basketball.
The Purple Aces played at Roberts from 1956 until 2011, creating some of the most memorable moments in Evansville sports history inside the building.
During the Arad McCutchan era, Roberts hosted Aces teams that became a national NCAA College Division powerhouse. Evansville won national championships in 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965 and 1971, helping establish basketball as an important part of the city’s identity.
The stadium continued as the home of the Aces after Evansville moved to NCAA Division I competition.
Its configuration placed large crowds close to the basketball court and helped give Roberts a reputation as an intimidating home venue.
Concerts and Entertainment
Roberts Stadium was also Evansville’s premier concert venue for decades.
Among the many performers who appeared at Roberts were Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Taylor Swift and numerous other nationally known entertainers.
Elvis Presley performed at Roberts Stadium twice, in 1972 and 1976. His October 24, 1976 concert drew approximately 13,500 people, setting an attendance record at the stadium.
Roberts also hosted professional wrestling, ice shows, circuses, conventions, religious gatherings, high school events and other community programs.
Professional Sports
In addition to the Purple Aces, Roberts Stadium was home to several Evansville professional sports franchises.
The Evansville Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association played there during the 1980s.
From 2003 through 2007, Roberts was home to the Evansville BlueCats, an indoor football franchise that attracted nearly 9,000 spectators to its first home game.
These teams added to Roberts Stadium’s reputation as the center of indoor sports in Evansville.
Renovations
Roberts Stadium underwent several renovations during its lifetime.
A major renovation completed around 1990–91 cost approximately $16 million and substantially modernized the arena.
Despite those improvements, by the 2000s city officials began debating whether Evansville should again renovate Roberts or construct a new arena.
A consultant was hired in 2007 to study the issue.
Ultimately, city leaders chose to build a new arena in Downtown Evansville.
The Ford Center and Closing of Roberts Stadium
Construction of the new Ford Center meant Roberts Stadium would no longer serve as Evansville’s primary arena.
The final concerts at Roberts took place during the summer of 2011. Bob Dylan performed there on August 2, followed by Kenny Chesney on August 7.
The University of Evansville also moved its basketball program Downtown.
When the Ford Center opened in November 2011, events at Roberts Stadium had effectively ended after approximately 55 years of service.
What would happen to Roberts, however, became the subject of an intense community debate.
The Fight to Save Roberts Stadium
Not everyone in Evansville believed the stadium should be demolished.
A grassroots Save Roberts Stadium movement argued that the building remained valuable and could be adapted for a new purpose rather than destroyed.
Supporters proposed using Roberts as a smaller sports and entertainment venue, youth sports complex, exposition center or other multipurpose facility. They argued that Roberts could complement rather than compete with the new Ford Center.
Preservation supporters also pointed to the millions of dollars that had been invested in the stadium during its previous renovation and argued that demolishing a usable public building would be wasteful.
Others disagreed.
City officials and demolition supporters cited the stadium’s age, maintenance costs and physical problems. Roberts had developed roof leaks and water issues, and pumps were required because of groundwater beneath the building. Estimates suggested that simply maintaining the unused arena could cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
The question became one of the most visible local preservation debates of the period: Should Evansville find another use for Roberts Stadium, or was it time to let it go?
Roberts Stadium Task Force
After taking office, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke created a 15-member Roberts Stadium Task Force in early 2012 to evaluate possible uses for the property.
Public interest was substantial.
The task force received more than 600 submissions through public meetings and its website.
Ideas generally fell into several categories:
- Sports uses
- Entertainment and exposition uses
- Parks and green space
- Saving Roberts Stadium
- Demolishing Roberts Stadium
Among the proposals considered were converting Roberts into a multisport complex, creating an exposition facility and redeveloping the property as parkland.
The task force ultimately concluded that major renovation proposals would be extremely expensive, with some options potentially costing as much as or more than constructing a new facility.
Decision to Demolish
In June 2012, Mayor Winnecke recommended demolishing Roberts Stadium and converting the property into green space.
The decision immediately disappointed supporters who believed a viable reuse had not been given enough opportunity.
On June 20, 2012, the Evansville Board of Park Commissioners voted 5–0 to approve the mayor’s recommendation to demolish the stadium.
Residents continued arguing both sides of the issue before city government. Supporters of demolition maintained that taxpayer money would be better spent creating a public park than maintaining an aging arena, while preservation supporters continued arguing that Roberts could generate revenue through new uses.
Final Attempt to Stop Demolition
The fight did not end with the Parks Board vote.
Evansville businessman Alan Brill filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent demolition. Brill argued that Roberts could be successfully redeveloped as an exposition center that would operate without competing directly against the Ford Center.
The lawsuit represented one of the final attempts to keep Roberts standing.
On October 2, 2012, Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Richard D’Amour rejected the effort to stop demolition, ruling that halting the city’s plans would be contrary to the public interest.
The legal defeat effectively ended the campaign to save Roberts Stadium.
Later that month, Evansville City Council restored funding for demolition. The city received a demolition bid of approximately $773,000.
After years of debate, the fate of Roberts Stadium was settled.
Demolition
Demolition began in late 2012 and continued into 2013.
During demolition on January 18, 2013, a dramatic moment occurred when a large portion of the stadium’s remaining steel structure unexpectedly collapsed while workers were cutting through the roof trusses.
Workers ran from the collapsing structure, but fortunately no one was injured.
The remaining demolition work was completed, bringing the 56-year history of Roberts Stadium to an end.
After Roberts Stadium
The disappearance of Roberts Stadium remained emotional for many longtime Evansville residents.
Unlike some demolished landmarks that had been vacant for decades, Roberts had hosted major events until shortly before its closure. Generations of residents had watched basketball games, concerts and community events there.
The site eventually became part of the recreational area adjoining Wesselman Woods and Wesselman Park, although redevelopment of the former stadium property took years.
Legacy
Roberts Stadium occupied a unique place in Evansville history.
It was where generations watched the Purple Aces, where national championship banners were celebrated and where some of the world’s most famous musicians performed.
Its demolition also became part of its story.
The debate surrounding Roberts Stadium demonstrated the difficult questions communities face when historic public buildings outlive their original purpose. Supporters believed Evansville was destroying a valuable piece of its history that could have been adapted for another generation. City leaders concluded that maintaining and renovating the aging arena could not be financially justified after construction of the Ford Center.
The preservation effort ultimately failed, and Roberts Stadium was demolished in 2013.
For many Evansville residents, however, Roberts was more than an arena. For 55 years, it served as one of the city’s great gathering places and remains one of the most remembered lost landmarks in Evansville history.
Quick Facts
Official name: Roberts Municipal Stadium
Common name: Roberts Stadium
Location: 2600 East Division Street
Opened: October 28, 1956
Architect: Ralph Legeman
Primary tenant: University of Evansville Purple Aces
Aces at Roberts: 1956–2011
Capacity: Approximately 12,000+
Major renovation: 1990–91
Closed: 2011
Decision to demolish: 2012
Demolished: 2012–2013
Notable performers: Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift
Other tenants: Evansville Thunder and Evansville BlueCats