Kingdome

Stadium name	King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium
Nickname	The Kingdome The Dome
Location	201 S. King StreetSeattle, Washington 98104
Coordinates
Broke ground	November 2, 1972
Opened	March 27, 1976
Closed	January 9, 2000
Demolished	March 26, 2000
Owner	King County
Operator	King County Departmentof Stadium Administration
Surface	AstroTurf
Construction cost	$67 million
Architect	Naramore, Skilling, & Praeger
Tenants	Seattle Seahawks (NFL) (1976–2000)Seattle Sounders (NASL) (1976–1983)Seattle Mariners (MLB) (1977–1999)Seattle SuperSonics (NBA) (1978–1985)NCAA Final Four (1984, 1989, 1995)
Seating capacity	Baseball: 59,166Football: 66,000Basketball: 40,000

The Kingdome (officially King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB), and the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The stadium was also the home stadium of the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League (NASL) and hosted numerous amateur sporting events, concerts, and other events.

King County voters approved the use of public money to construct the Kingdome in 1968. Construction began in 1972 and the stadium opened in 1976 as the home stadium of the Sounders and Seahawks. The Mariners moved in the following year, and the SuperSonics moved in the next year, only to move back to the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1985. The stadium hosted several major sports events, including the Pro Bowl in 1977, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1979, the NBA All-Star Game in 1987, and the NCAA Final Four in 1984, 1989, and 1995.

During the 1990s both the Seahawks' and Mariners' respective ownership groups began to question the suitability of the Kingdome as a venue for each team, threatening to relocate unless new, publicly funded stadiums were built. As a result, public funding packages for new, purpose-built stadiums for the Mariners and Seahawks were approved in 1995 and 1997, respectively. The Mariners moved to Safeco Field midway through the season, and the Seahawks temporarily moved to Husky Stadium following the 1999 season. The Kingdome was demolished by implosion on March 26, 2000; the Seahawks' new stadium, Seahawks Stadium (now known as Qwest Field) was built on the site.

Concept and construction

In 1967, Major League Baseball's American League granted the city of Seattle an expansion franchise that would later be known as the Seattle Pilots. The league clearly stated that Sick's Stadium – the 30-year-old minor league stadium where the team was slated to play – was not adequate as a major-league stadium, and stipulated that as a condition of being awarded the franchise, bonds had to be issued to fund construction of a new domed stadium that had to be completed by 1970; additionally, the capacity at Sick's Stadium had to be expanded from 11,000 to 30,000 by Opening Day 1969, when the team was scheduled to begin playing.

In February 1968, as part of the Forward Thrust group of bond propositions, King County voters approved the issue of US$40 million in bonds to fund construction of the "King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium." That year a committee considered over 100 sites throughout Seattle and King County for the stadium, and unanimously decided the best site would be on the grounds of Seattle Center. Community members decried the idea, claiming that the committee was influenced by special interest groups.

The Pilots began play as planned in 1969, but Sick's Stadium proved to be a woefully problematic venue for fans, media, and visiting players alike. After just one season, the Pilots' ownership group declared bankruptcy and, despite efforts by Seattle-area businessmen to buy the team and an attempt to keep the team in Seattle through the court system, the Pilots were sold to Milwaukee, Wisconsin businessman Bud Selig, who relocated the team to Milwaukee and renamed it the Milwaukee Brewers a week before the start of the 1970 season.

The push to build the domed stadium continued despite the lack of a major league sports team to occupy it. In May 1970 voters rejected the proposal to build the stadium at Seattle Center. From 1970–1972 the commission studied the feasibility and economic impact of building the stadium on King Street in SoDo—a site that ranked at the bottom when the commission originally narrowed the field of possible sites in 1968. This drew sharp opposition primarily from the International District community, which feared the impact of the stadium on neighborhood businesses located east of the site. On November 2, 1972, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the SoDo site. Several protesters attended the ceremony, disrupted the speakers, and at one point threw mud balls at them.

On December 5, 1974, the National Football League awarded Seattle an expansion franchise to occupy the new stadium; the team would later be named the Seattle Seahawks. Construction lasted another two years, and the stadium held an opening ceremony on March 27, 1976. It hosted its first professional sporting event on April 9 of that year, a soccer match between the Seattle Sounders and New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.

American football

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks were the first major professional sports team to call the Kingdome its home. They hosted their first game on August 1, 1976, a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Kingdome hosted the 1977 Pro Bowl on January 17, 1977.

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. 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.

Amateur

The first collegiate football game played in the Kingdome was between the 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).

The University of Puget Sound Loggers and Pacific Lutheran University Lutes success in bringing large crowds to the newly opened Tacoma Dome in 1983, 1984 and 1985 enticed the Kingdome to move the rivalry 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 WIAA 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.

Baseball

Shortly after the Pilots' departure for Milwaukee, the city of Seattle, King County, and the state of Washington sued the American League claiming a breach of contract. The league agreed to grant Seattle another franchise in exchange for dropping the lawsuit, and the team that would later be known as the Seattle Mariners was born. The Mariners held their first game at the Kingdome on April 6, 1977, against the California Angels.

The Kingdome was somewhat problematic as a baseball venue. Foul territory was quite large, and seating areas were set back far from the playing field, with seats in the upper deck as far as from home plate. Additionally, 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 did not have a winning season until 1991) combined with the Kingdome's design, led to poor attendance and led some writers and fans to call it "the Tomb" and "Puget Puke." 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 wall in right field nicknamed the "Walla Walla" (after Walla Walla, Washington)," featuring a new out of town 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.

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. After an inspection by engineers, the game was continued the next evening, resulting in a win for the Indians.

Basketball

Seattle SuperSonics

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 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). 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. 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.

Collegiate

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 coach John Wooden, defeating Arkansas.

Other sports and entertainment

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 Kingdome hosted the NFL Pro Bowl in 1977, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in , and the 1987 NBA All-Star Game, making it the only venue that has hosted all star games for three major sports leagues.

Numerous rock concerts were held in the venue, despite significant echo and sound delay problems attributable to the structure's cavernous size.

Artists that have performed at Kingdome include Johnny Cash, Wings, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Madonna, Level 42, Paul McCartney, Guns N' Roses, Faith No More and U2, among others.

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.

The first-ever rock concert in the Kingdome was Paul McCartney & 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.

Led Zeppelin performed on July 17, 1977, on what turned out to be the band's last US tour (this performance is available on VOIO and ROIO).

The stadium held The Monsters of Rock Festival, featuring Van Halen, Scorpions, Dokken, Metallica and Kingdom Come, on July 27, 1988.

Final years

Relocation threats

By the 1990s, the stadium's suitability as an NFL and MLB venue came into doubt. After several years of threats to relocate the Mariners due to poor attendance and revenue, owner Jeff Smulyan sold the team to an ownership group led by Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi in 1992. Almost immediately, the new ownership group began campaigning with local and state governments to secure public funding for a new baseball-only stadium. In March 1994, King County Executive Gary Locke appointed a task force to study the need for a baseball-only stadium.

1994 ceiling collapse

The Kingdome's roof had been problematic from the beginning. Leaks were discovered in the roof two months before the stadium opened, and several attempts at repairs made the situation worse and/or had to be undone. In 1993, the county decided to strip off the outer roof coating and replace it with a special coating. Sandblasting failed to strip the old roof material off, and the contractor changed its method to pressure washing. This pressure-washing resulted in water seepage through the roof, and on July 19, 1994, four , waterlogged acoustic ceiling tiles fell into the seating area. The tiles fell while the Mariners were on the field preparing for a scheduled game against the Baltimore Orioles, a half-hour before the gates were to open for fans to enter the stadium. As a result, the Kingdome was closed.

The Mariners were forced to play the last 20 games of the 1994 season on the road after the players' union vetoed playing the "home" games at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, or some neutral site, as the union believed its members should only play in major-league venues. Repairing the roof ultimately cost US$51 million and two construction workers lost their lives in a crane accident during the repair. The incident also motivated plans to replace the stadium. The Kingdome was the first large, domed stadium to be demolished in the United States and the demolition of the Kingdome was the first live event covered by ESPN Classic. The Kingdome was demolished before the debt issued to finance its construction was fully paid and as of September 2010, residents of King County are still responsible for more than $80 million in debt on the demolished stadium.

Successors

Two separate facilities replaced the Kingdome. Safeco Field, a purpose built baseball park for the Seattle Mariners, broke ground in 1997 on a site located adjacent to the Kingdome, across Royal Brougham Way, and opened in 1999. Qwest Field, a multipurpose stadium built primarily for the Seattle Seahawks and professional soccer, was built on the Kingdome's former site beginning after the demolition of the Kingdome in 2000. Qwest Field has been the home field of the Seattle Seahawks since it opened in 2002 and has been home field for the Seattle Sounders FC since 2009.

In popular culture

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), 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 one of the characters mention the Kingdome when pieces of a roof start falling in a scene from This Island Earth.

See also

Thin-shell structure

List of thin shell structures

References

External links

The Story behind the implosion of The Seattle Kingdome

Kingdome: The Controversial Birth of a Seattle Icon (1959-1976)

Video of Kingdome Implosion

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Kingdome/King County Domed Stadium (demolished 2000) Category:1976 establishments Category:2000 disestablishments Category:Defunct Major League Baseball venues Category:Defunct National Football League venues Category:Demolished sports venues in the United States Category:Seattle Mariners stadiums Category:Seattle Seahawks stadiums Category:Seattle SuperSonics venues Category:Basketball venues in Washington (U.S. state) Category:Soccer venues in Washington (U.S. state) Category:American football venues in Washington (U.S. state) Category:Baseball venues in Seattle, Washington Category:Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States Category:Defunct National Basketball Association venues Category:Architecture in Washington (U.S. state) Category:Concrete shell structures Category:Modernist architecture in the United States