#TBT – We are throwing back to 1952, and the newly constructed “State Fair Arena” at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. Matthew Nowicki, a professor of architecture at North Carolina State University created the innovative design. He died in a plane accident before construction commenced, and his friend William Henley Dietrick took over the project. The Arena was officially dedicated as the J.S. Dorton Arena in 1961, in honor of the long-time State Fair Manager. The building has a cable supported roof system, the first of its kind in the world. Dorton Arena was placed on the National Historical Registry in 1972. Happy Thursday!