| 133rd | Top stadiums |
| 8th | Top thin shell structures |
| King County Domed Stadium | |
|---|---|
| The Kingdome | |
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| Location | 201 S. King Street Seattle, Washington 98104  United States |
| Coordinates | 47°35′44″N 122°19′59″W / 47.59556°N 122.33306°WCoordinates: 47°35′44″N 122°19′59″W / 47.59556°N 122.33306°W |
| Broke ground | November 2, 1972 |
| Opened | March 27, 1976 |
| Closed | January 9, 2000 |
| Demolished | March 26, 2000 (aged 23) |
| Owner | King County |
| Operator | King County Department of Stadium Administration |
| Surface | AstroTurf |
| Construction cost | $67 million |
| Architect | Naramore, Skilling, & Praeger |
| Capacity | Baseball: 59,166 Football: 66,000 Basketball: 40,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Seattle Seahawks (NFL) (1976-2000) Seattle Sounders (NASL) (1976-83) Seattle Mariners (MLB) (1977-99) Seattle SuperSonics (NBA) (1978-85) NCAA Final Four (1984, 1989, 1995) |
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The Kingdome was an indoor sports and entertainment arena in Seattle, Washington, owned and operated by King County. It was built in 1972–76 and operated from 1976 until its demolition in 2000. The Kingdome received its nickname from King County,[1] and was officially known as the King County Domed Stadium and often called "The Dome" (it was often incorrectly referred to on national broadcasts as the "Seattle Kingdome.")[2]
It was located at the west end of Seattle's Industrial District, just south of Pioneer Square. The building was completed in 1976 on reclaimed tideflat land formerly occupied by the Burlington Northern Railroad's freight yards. It served as home to the city's professional sports teams: the Seahawks (NFL), Mariners (MLB), Sounders (NASL), and for several years the SuperSonics (NBA). The Kingdome was demolished by implosion on March 26, 2000 and the footprint is now occupied by its outdoor replacement, Qwest Field.
The upper deck of the Kingdome was extended from the left field foul pole to home plate and around to right center field and the first and second decks circled the entire stadium. The right field wall was 23 feet high and named the Walla-Walla. A scoreboard/video board was located above the seats in left field. The roof was 250 feet at its highest point above the Astroturf playing surface. Several speakers that were in play, dangled considerably lower and were hit numerous times by both fair and foul balls. Very few changes took place at the Kingdome over the years. In 1990, an out of town scoreboard was incorporated as part of the right field wall.[3]
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The Kingdome was somewhat problematic as a baseball venue. It was not a multipurpose stadium in the truest sense of the term, but was a football stadium that could convert into a baseball stadium. As a result, the sight lines for baseball left much to be desired. Foul territory was quite roomy, pushing fans far from the action since the bullpens were just over the foul lines. Seats in the upper deck were as far as 617 feet (188 m) from the plate.[4] In right field, most fans in the 300 level were unable to see parts of right and center field; these areas were not part of the football playing field.
For most of the Mariners' first 18 years, their poor play (they didn't have a winning season until 1991) resulted in poor attendance. Combined with the Kingdome's design, this resulted in a very sterile atmosphere, leading some writers and fans to call it "the Tomb" and "Puget Puke"[4] (at one point the Mariners covered seats in the upper decks in right and right-center with a tarp in order to make the stadium feel "less empty"). Additionally, the Kingdome's acoustics created problems for stadium announcers, who had to deal with significant echo issues [5]. However, when the team's fortunes began to change in the mid–1990s and they began drawing large crowds, especially in the post-season, the noise created an electric atmosphere and gave the home team a distinct advantage similar to the effect on football games.
Despite its cavernous interior, the Kingdome's field dimensions were relatively small. It had a reputation as a hitter's park, especially in the 1990s when Ken Griffey, Jr., Edgar Martínez, Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez and other sluggers played there.
The large number of in-play objects—speakers, roof support wires and streamers—contributed to an "arena baseball" feel. The Kingdome was somewhat improved in 1982 with the addition of a 23-foot (7.0 m) wall in right field nicknamed the "Walla Wall" (after Walla Walla, Washington)," featuring a hand-operated scoreboard. In 1990, new owner Jeff Smulyan added some asymmetrical outfield dimensions.
The most noteworthy baseball game in the Kingdome's history took place on October 8, 1995, when the Seattle Mariners defeated the New York Yankees 6–5 in 11 innings in the rubber game of the American League Division Series in front of 57,411 raucous fans.[6]
One game between the Mariners and the Cleveland Indians in the Kingdome was suspended in the home half of the seventh inning because of a minor earthquake, on May 2, 1996. The earthquake occurred during a pitching change as Indians' pitcher Orel Hershiser was walking off the mound following a home run by Edgar Martínez.[7] After an inspection by engineers, the game was continued the next evening, resulting in a win for the Indians.
Baseball Firsts, Lasts, and Historic Moments
Kingdome Records
Due to its concrete construction and the Seahawks' raucous fans, the Kingdome was known as one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. Opposing teams were known to practice with rock music blaring full blast to prepare for the high decibel levels typical of Seahawk home games. In 1987, Bo Jackson of the Los Angeles Raiders rushed for 221 yards, the most ever on Monday Night Football, and scored 2 touchdowns. One of his scores was a 91 yard touchdown and the other was a historic plowing into Seahawks high-profile rookie linebacker Brian "The Boz" Bosworth.
The Kingdome's final NFL game was played on January 9, 2000, a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Dolphins.[8] The Dolphins scored a fourth quarter touchdown to win 20-17; it was the last NFL victory for Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Football Firsts, Lasts, and Historic Moments
Besides the Mariners and Seahawks, the stadium also hosted the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics for a number of years. The 1978–79 season was the first year the Sonics played in the Kingdome on a full time basis with the addition of portable stadium seating added onto the floor of the arena as well as additional scoreboards and a new basketball court. Fred Brown and Gus Williams led the team that year to their first and only world championship. At the time it was known in the NBA for being the noisiest arena for basketball as well as the largest crowds with stadium vendor Bill the Beerman taking the duties as cheerleader. In the 1979–80 season, the SuperSonics set an NBA record average attendance of 21,725 fans per game (since broken).[9] The SuperSonics also set NBA records for single-game playoff attendance in 1978 and 1980 with crowds of 39,457 and 40,172 respectively (also since broken). The Kingdome record attendance for a regular season game was in 1991, with 38,067.[10] The SuperSonics hosted the 1987 NBA All-Star Game there.
Logistics would be a problem during the playoffs, as the Mariners (the Kingdome's primary tenants) objected to letting the Sonics play there in the spring. Most of the games would be played at Seattle Center Coliseum, and a few of the games had to be played at Hec Edmundson Pavilion at the University of Washington.
Around 1990, Sonics owner Barry Ackerley made the decision to leave the Kingdome and to build a new basketball arena. Plans were underway to build a new arena south of the Kingdome (where Safeco Field stands today) to be called Ackerley Arena, but after financing fell through, the team went back to the Coliseum, which was later rebuilt as KeyArena, reopening for the 1995-96 season. The Sonics played there until the team moved to Oklahoma City before the 2008-09 season.
The NCAA Final Four was held three times at the Kingdome - in 1984, when Georgetown defeated Houston, in 1989 when Michigan beat Seton Hall in overtime, and in 1995 when UCLA won their first championship since the retirement of legendary coach John Wooden, defeating Arkansas.
The most notorious event in the stadium's history[citation needed] took place on July 19, 1994, when four 26-pound, waterlogged ceiling tiles collapsed in the vacant stadium just hours before a scheduled Mariners game. The cause was the stadium's poorly-maintained concrete roof, which, by 1993, was leaking badly. A plan to repair the roof involved stripping the original exterior sealant and pressure-washing the exterior. This pressure-washing resulted in seepage through the concrete roof, ultimately leading to the interior ceiling's collapse. The Mariners were forced to play the last 15 home games of the 1994 strike-shortened season on the road after the MLB Players Association vetoed playing the "home" games at nearby Cheney Stadium in Tacoma or BC Place Stadium in Vancouver BC citing lighting issues (Tacoma) and Astroturf/Sliding Pit issues (Vancouver). Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks had to play their first three home games of the 1994 regular season home games at nearby Husky Stadium, as well as both preseason contests. (The Seahawks would later use Husky Stadium for all of their home games during 2000 and 2001 seasons between the demolition of the Dome and the completion of Qwest Field).
Repairing the roof ultimately cost $51 million and two construction workers lost their lives in a crane accident during the repair.[11] The incident also motivated plans to replace the stadium.
The Kingdome's first sporting event was a game between the NASL's New York Cosmos and Seattle Sounders on April 25, 1976, with 58,218 fans in attendance. The first collegiate football game played in the Kingdome was between Washington State Cougars and USC Trojans, when Ricky Bell set the NCAA single-game rushing yardage record (later broken by Reuben Mayes of Washington State).[12]
The Kingdome hosted the NFL Pro Bowl in 1977, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1979, and the 1987 NBA All-Star Game, making it the only venue that has hosted all star games for three major sports leagues. This distinction is unlikely to be accomplished again due to the advent of purpose-built single-sport stadiums.
The UPS Loggers and PLU Lutes success in bringing large crowds to the newly opened Tacoma Dome in 1983, 1984 and 1985 enticed the Kingdome to move the rivarly game for the Totem Pole Trophy to Seattle. It was only played in the Kingdome for two years - 1986 and 1987. While it was relatively successful for small college football, the event organizers realized that they would never get the 50,000 needed to fill the Kingdome and brought the game back to Tacoma where it has been played ever since.
The stadium also hosted the high school football state championships in an event called the King Bowl. Since the stadium's implosion the state championships moved to the Tacoma Dome in nearby Tacoma.
The Seattle and Tacoma Police Departments played a yearly game named the Bacon Bowl to raise money for charity; it has since moved to Qwest Field.
Numerous rock concerts were held in the venue, despite significant echo and sound delay problems attributable to the structure's cavernous size. These include Led Zeppelin on July 17, 1977 on what turned out to be the band's last US tour (this performance is available on VOIO and ROIO), two Rolling Stones concerts on October 14 and 15, 1981, that attracted crowds of 69,132 and 68,028, respectively. The stadium was also the last stop for Guns N' Roses and Metallica on their epic co-headlining tour in early October 1992. U2 also made their last stop in the US on their Pop Mart Tour on December 12, 1997.
The first-ever rock concert in the Kingdome was Paul McCartney and Wings on June 10, 1976. The Seattle concert was the centerpiece of the Wings Over America tour, which was the first time McCartney had toured America since 1966 when The Beatles stopped touring. Highlights of the show included McCartney performing acoustic versions of "Yesterday" and "Blackbird".
The largest crowd to attend a single event in the Kingdome was 74,000, on May 17, 1976, for a Billy Graham Crusade featuring Johnny Cash.[13]
In 1997, plans were finalized to construct two new stadiums in Seattle, Qwest Field and Safeco Field. These two planned stadiums, homes of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners respectively, rendered the Kingdome useless and guaranteed its demise.
Before thousands of Seattlites, it was destroyed by implosion on March 26, 2000 by Controlled Demolition, Inc. in the first live event ever covered by ESPN Classic[14], and set a world record for largest structure implosion by volume.[15] The Kingdome was imploded before its debt was fully paid.[16] It was the first domed stadium in the United States to ever be demolished.[17]
A video of the Kingdome's implosion can be viewed online.[18]
Qwest Field, the home of the NFL Seattle Seahawks since 2002, now occupies the site and was built using a significant amount of recycled concrete from the demolished Kingdome. Safeco Field, the Mariners' home park, sits next door, on the other side of Royal Brougham Way.
In the real-time strategy game World in Conflict, the Kingdome is featured in the "Dome" multiplayer map, as well as in the first campaign mission, featuring the same map. The dome is demolished by Soviet artillery fire in both normal and multiplayer campaigns.
The Kingdome is mentioned in the Foo Fighters song "New Way Home" off the 1997 album The Colour and the Shape.
In the video games Gran Turismo 2 (for PlayStation), 3 and 4 (for PlayStation 2), the Seattle circuit features the Kingdome and Safeco Field (in construction) near the end of the lap.
The destruction of the Kingdome factors heavily into Mike Daisey's book 21 Dog Years.
In the anime Mobile Suit Gundam, when White Base hide from Garma Zabi, the sports dome they take cover in appears to be the Kingdome
In Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie one of the characters mention the Kingdome when pieces of a roof start falling in a scene from This Island Earth.
In Jay-Z's hit song Empire State of Mind he says "Long live the World Trade, Long live the Kingdome".[19]
| Preceded by first stadium |
Home of the Seattle Seahawks 1976 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Husky Stadium |
| Preceded by first ballpark |
Home of the Seattle Mariners 1977 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Safeco Field |
| Preceded by Seattle Center Coliseum |
Home of the Seattle SuperSonics 1978 – 1985 |
Succeeded by Seattle Center Coliseum |
| Preceded by The Pit Kemper Arena Charlotte Coliseum |
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Finals Venue 1984 1989 1995 |
Succeeded by Rupp Arena McNichols Sports Arena Continental Airlines Arena |
| Preceded by Louisiana Superdome |
Host of the NFL Pro Bowl 1977 |
Succeeded by Tampa Stadium |
| Preceded by San Diego Stadium |
Host of the MLB All-Star Game 1979 |
Succeeded by Dodger Stadium |
| Preceded by Reunion Arena |
Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1987 |
Succeeded by Chicago Stadium |
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   | ALDS boxscore - Retrosheet Boxscore: Seattle Mariners 6, New York Yankees 5 |
| | Kingdome: The Controversial Birth of a Seattle Icon (1959-1976) - HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History |
| | Kingdome Implosion - Live Coverage. - YouTube - Kingdome Implosion - LIVE COVERAGE |
| | "Q&A: Stadium Tax Proposal." - The Seattle Times: Local News: Q&A: Stadium tax proposal |
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| | Not even a quake could crack the Dome - Not even a quake could crack the Dome |
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