Recreating an Icon: 3D Printing Dorton Arena

Guest author: Justin Haynes, Makerspace Librarian at NC State University Libraries

This blog is part of a series of posts featuring stories from the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) exhibit “A Fair to Remember: The History of the North Carolina State Fair.” The exhibit opened in the D.H. Hill Jr. Library’s exhibit gallery March 27, 2025. The exhibit curator is Public History MA student Karina Burbank, and the exhibit designer is Conservation Services Manager Emily Schmidt.

The North Carolina State Fair means a great deal to me. During my first year at NC State, the fair was one of the events that helped me realize the scale of things happening in Raleigh compared to rural North Carolina where I was raised. It was massive, lively, and unforgettable. The morning after our wedding, my wife and I brought both of our families to experience it for the first time together. Since then, I’ve spent countless weekends at the fairgrounds; tailgating, browsing flea markets, attending expos, and every time, one landmark has stood out as the meet-up spot, the photo backdrop, the wayfinding marker: Dorton Arena.

Dorton Arena is an iconic structure designed by architect Matthew Nowicki and completed in 1952 by local architect William Dietrick. With its sweeping curves and futuristic design, Dorton has become a symbol of architectural innovation and a recognizable landmark for both NC State and the State Fair. So when Emily Schmidt and Karina Burbank, two members of the team behind the new NC State University Libraries exhibit, A Fair to Remember, asked if I could 3D print a model of Dorton, I didn’t hesitate to take it on. Recreating one of the most iconic buildings in the region for your first exhibit piece; what could go wrong?

As a one-time aspiring architect, I’ve always been fascinated by architectural models, and we’re lucky to have some incredible ones in our Special Collections Research Center here at the Libraries. I was hopeful we could quickly 3D scan an existing model of Dorton Arena we had on hand. I reached out to Colin Keenan, our Experiential Learning Service Librarian and 3D scanning expert, and we coordinated with our Special Collections and Preservation teams to take a closer look. The model was beautiful, but not ideal for 3D scanning. Its transparent acrylic windows and delicate wire roof (crafted from fine jeweler’s chain) didn’t play well with the scanner’s depth camera. So, the quick route turned into the long route: I would have to model the building from scratch. I took dozens of photos and videos of the model for reference and started building it digitally.

Replicating a structure designed without square edges and essentially made of paraboloids was a serious challenge. I had visual references, but I needed dimensions. Luckily, University Archivist Todd Kosmerick found us scanned blueprints of Dorton Arena. With scaled reference drawings and cross-sections in hand, I could finally understand the geometry. It helped to think in quarters. Dorton’s design is symmetrical across both axes, so if I modeled one quadrant accurately, I could mirror it to complete the building. That made the process more manageable. After many hours of modeling (and even more troubleshooting once the pieces were stitched together) I was finally ready for a test print.

I printed the model standing upright, thinking that would make the most visual sense (and selfishly, a really cool timelapse). The result looked less like a building rising from the ground and more like spaghetti being dumped onto a half-finished arena. The reality is that 3D printing works best when an object has a good ratio of surface area on the build plate to overall volume. Dorton’s arch supports, the same concrete bases kids climb on at the fair, were now as thin as pencils. They toppled easily during printing. Even with added brims to help them stick, success was inconsistent. And when the arches did print, the thin roof layers often failed next.

Time was ticking.

Several failed prints later, I stared at a ruined version on my desk. As I brushed debris into the hollow model shell, it hit me: print it upside down. The roof would print first, with minimal travel distance for support structures. The slender columns would build upward with the support of everything already printed beneath them.

That print? It worked. On the first try.

Of course, printing is just one part of the process. Those of us who 3D print regularly know that once a piece comes off the printer, the real work begins. The model had to be sanded, primed, painted…repeatedly. I chose a flat gray finish to emulate a traditional architectural model, something that would sit cleanly and look professional in the exhibit case. After multiple coats and careful detailing, Dorton Arena was complete.

All that remained was to hand it over to the exhibits team. And after that? I finally took a breath, relaxed, and started dreaming about bacon-wrapped and deep fried everything, all with an ice-cold lemonade.

A Fair to Remember will be available to view again when D.H. Hill Jr. Library is reopened after this summer’s closure and up until Spring 2026.

The D. H. Hill Jr. Library will be closed beginning on Monday, May 5, 2025, for planned electrical work. The Special Collections Research Center is located in Hill Library, and will be closed for all appointments during this period. Special Collections can only make appointment requests after August 3, 2025. During the closure, Special Collections staff will be available to answer questions about our collections, if they are accessible, and to support researchers using digital materials for their research. Some materials will not be available for reproduction requests. Please contact us!