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Wikipedia

Georgia Dome

The Georgia Dome was a domed stadium in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west, it was owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. Its successor, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was built adjacent to the south and opened on August 26, 2017. The Georgia Dome was demolished on November 20, 2017.[7]

Georgia Dome
The Georgia Dome in 1996
Address1 Georgia Dome Drive Northwest
Atlanta, Georgia
United States
Coordinates33°45′29″N 84°24′04″W / 33.758°N 84.401°W / 33.758; -84.401
Public transitDome / GWCC / Philips Arena / CNN Center (MARTA station)
Vine City (MARTA station)
OwnerGeorgia World Congress Center Authority
OperatorGeorgia World Congress Center Authority
CapacityFootball: 71,228
Georgia State football: 28,155[4]
Basketball: 71,000[5]
Total Capacity: 80,000[6]
SurfaceFieldTurf (2003–2017)
AstroTurf (1992–2002)
Construction
Broke groundNovember 22, 1989
OpenedSeptember 6, 1992; 31 years ago (1992-09-06)
ClosedJune 9, 2017 (2017-06-09)[1]
DemolishedNovember 20, 2017 (2017-11-20)
Construction cost$214 million
($446 million in 2022 dollars[2])
ArchitectHeery International; Rosser FABRAP International; and tvsdesign
Project managerBarton-Malow[3]
Structural engineerWeidlinger Associates[3]
General contractorBeers/Georgia Dome Team[3]
Tenants
College football

Peach Bowl (NCAA) (19932016)
Georgia State Panthers (NCAA) (20102016)
Celebration Bowl (NCAA) (20152016)

Professional football

Atlanta Falcons (NFL) (19922016)

Basketball
Atlanta Hawks (NBA) (19971999)

The Georgia Dome was the home stadium for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) and the Georgia State University Panthers football team. It hosted two Super Bowls (XXVIII and XXXIV), 25 editions of the Peach Bowl (January 1993–December 2016) and 23 SEC Championship Games (19942016). In addition, the Georgia Dome also hosted several soccer matches since 2009 with attendances over 50,000. In its 25 years of operation, the Georgia Dome hosted over 1,400 events attended by over 37 million people.[8] The Georgia Dome was the only stadium in the United States to host the Olympics, Super Bowl and Final Four.[9][10][11]

At its debut in 1992, the Georgia Dome was the second-largest covered stadium in the world by capacity, behind the Pontiac Silverdome; it was also surpassed by AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

History edit

Facility information edit

The Georgia Dome was completed in 1992 at a cost of $214 million, making it one of the largest state-funded construction projects in Georgia history.[12][13] The stadium seated 71,228 for football, approximately 80,000 for concerts, and 71,000 for basketball when the stadium fully opened and 40,000 for basketball and gymnastics when the stadium was sectioned off (one half closed off by a large curtain).[14] For most Georgia State football games, the dome was configured with 28,155 seats, with tickets for only the bulk of the lower level and the club-level seats on sale.[4][15] The record for overall attendance at the Georgia Dome came during a college football game, with 80,892 at the SEC Championship Game in 2008.[citation needed][16]

The Dome had 5,740 club seats and 171 luxury boxes. The executives suites fit 16-24 people, while eight super-suites added in 2007 were capable of accommodating 57-96 guests.[17] There were also four restaurants/bars. There were 12 escalators and 9 elevators.[18][19][20]

The structure was located on 9.19 acres (3.72 hectares) of land; the Dome had a height of 271 ft (83 m), a structure length of 746 ft (227 m), a structure width of 607 ft (185 m), and a total floor area of 102,150 square feet (9,490 m2). The stadium was the largest cable-supported dome in the world. Its roof was made of teflon-coated fiberglass fabric and had an area of 374,584 square feet (34,800 m2). From its completion until the December 31, 1999 opening of the 20-acre (8.09-hectare) Millennium Dome in London, it was the largest hooked domed structure of any type in the world. Matt Hartley Lighting, LLC designed the lighting for the concourse of the Georgia Dome.[21]

Surface edit

The Georgia Dome originally used AstroTurf artificial surface for its football events. In 2003, Arthur Blank, the new owner of Atlanta Falcons, funded the installation of the new infilled FieldTurf artificial surface system.[22][23]

Renovations edit

In 2006, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced a $300 million renovation to the Georgia Dome.[24][25] The project was separated into two stages. The first stage, which took place before the 2007 NFL season, focused on updating the premium seating areas, including the creation of eight 'super-suites' as well as an owners' club, most of them now incorporating new plasma TVs.[18][26] In 2008, the exterior of the stadium was repainted, replacing the original teal and maroon color scheme with a red, black, and silver theme to match the Falcons' team colors; the stadium's original teal seats were replaced with red seats in the lower and upper levels and black seats in the middle level. The entrance gates and concourses were also renovated and updated before the 2008 football season.[27][28] In 2009, the video screens in both end zones were relocated to a new exterior monument sign on Northside Drive. The interior end zones each received a new and considerably wider HD video screen that significantly enhanced views of replays, as well as graphics and digital presentations. A new sound system was installed in the same year, replacing the previous system that was nearly 20 years old.

In 2008, the Georgia Dome started showing safety videos before games, presented by Deltalina, flight attendant "mascot" of Delta Air Lines. The videos satirize Delta's massively popular "Deltalina" inflight safety videos. The videos' theme was "Delta Safety First".[29][30]

Major weather-related issues edit

Three years after the completion of the Dome, the integrity of its roof became an issue. During a Falcons pre-season game in August 1995, a severe rainstorm caused water to pool on the fabric, tearing part of the material, and causing a section of the roof to fall into the stadium. The storm was intense enough that the roof panels could be seen moving during the game, and the water and roof material later fell with enough force to smash seats in the upper decks and knock holes in concrete floors. The collapse occurred after fans left the stadium, and no one was injured during the incident. The roof was eventually repaired in a way that prevented similar incidents from occurring in the future.[31][32]

In the 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak on March 14, 2008, during the 2008 SEC men's basketball tournament, a tornado ripped two holes in the dome during the AlabamaMississippi State quarterfinal game, delaying the game for about an hour. The quarterfinal game to follow between the Kentucky Wildcats and Georgia Bulldogs was postponed until the following day.[32] The resulting damage forced the rest of the tournament to be moved to the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, now known as McCamish Pavilion, at Georgia Tech.[33]

Final years and replacement edit

 
Aerial photo of Georgia Dome; the land next to it has been cleared for construction of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
 
The Georgia Dome (right) and Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 2, 2017

In 2010, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced plans for a new stadium just south of the Georgia Dome. At the time, the Georgia Dome had just completed a major update and was still relatively young.[34] The Dome had been designed specifically for football while a handful of NFL teams still made do with multi-purpose stadiums shared with MLB teams; plus, the Dome had plenty of luxury suites and premium seating which were important revenue-generating features lacking other older venues which made them obsolete. Lastly, the new stadium was located directly adjacent to the Georgia Dome (in contrast to older multi-purpose stadiums, whose suburban locale did not match up with a team's fanbase). Nonetheless, sports economist Rod Fort noted that pro sports team owners "thought they could get away with demanding new" stadiums every year with public money; plus, the Falcons did not have control of the Dome nor the profits, which made them less competitive than other teams that owned state-of-the-art facilities.[35][36] In addition, Arthur Blank "wanted a state-of-the-art facility for his NFL and MLS teams and was willing to pitch in a huge amount of money to make it happen", as well as wanting to host another Super Bowl.[37][38] Also with the Atlanta climate the Falcons long desired to play outdoors in either an open-air stadium or retractable roof stadium rather than inside a dome.[39] At the time it was planned to retain the Georgia Dome to continue hosting non-NFL events.[40][41][42]

In justifying the need for a new venue, Falcons CEO and president Rich McKay said that the Georgia Dome "was a really functional building that served its purpose very well. We did not want to build a better Georgia Dome. That was not the object. If we would have done that, we would have renovated the Georgia Dome. We really wanted to change the game and do it for a long, long time." Stadium general manager Scott Jenkins described the new stadium's advantages over the Dome, saying "The LED displays we have, whether it's every seat is two-inches wider than the Georgia Dome, almost all the concourses connect so you can circumnavigate the building, you don't get cut-off. You can move vertically throughout the building, we have really wide staircases, we have twice the elevators, twice the escalators compared to the Georgia Dome".[43] McKay said of it, "The architecture, I think, speaks for itself. I hope the first time you're in it, yeah, you're wowed by the architecture, but more wowed by the fan experience." SB Nation noted that while the "Georgia Dome did its job for 24 years...it wasn't anything special. That's not the case with [the Mercedes-Benz Stadium]. Walking up to it feels like you're approaching a darn spaceship".[19]

The new stadium, which would be known as Mercedes-Benz Stadium, received approval from the city of Atlanta, Fulton County, and Georgia state governments in 2013. Construction commenced and ground was broken in 2014.

The Falcons' final game in the Dome was the 2016 NFC Championship Game on January 22, 2017, with a 44–21 victory over the Green Bay Packers, that sent the Falcons to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The stadium's final public event took place on March 4 and 5, 2017, with back-to-back Monster Jam shows.[44]

Demolition edit

Shortly after the Georgia Dome's closing, a group presented a petition to the governor's office to save the stadium from demolition, arguing that it was still in good condition and that its loss would be wasteful. While the Falcons initially sought an open-air stadium to complement the Georgia Dome, GWCCA officials ultimately concluded that maintaining two 70,000-seat stadiums was not financially feasible, and the Georgia Dome's fate was already sealed when Mercedes-Benz Stadium was approved in 2013.[45][46]

Demolition of the Georgia Dome was intended to begin shortly after the stadium's final event; however, due to construction delays caused by the complexity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium's eight-panel retractable roof, demolition of the Georgia Dome was postponed until the new stadium's certificate of occupancy could be issued. GWCCA officials stated that the Georgia Dome would remain nominally operational until Mercedes-Benz Stadium was ready; however, the Dome's artificial turf had been removed and its offices vacated prior to the announcement of the new stadium's delay.[47]

On June 9, 2017, Steve Cannon, CEO of the Falcons' parent company AMB Group, stated that construction officials were confident that Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be ready in time for the Falcons' first preseason game, and the process of decommissioning the Georgia Dome had resumed, with the Dome scheduled for implosion on November 20, 2017, at 7:30 am EST.[1]

In July 2017, GWCCA officials removed equipment they intend to reuse either at Mercedes-Benz Stadium or elsewhere on the GWCC campus while other equipment was liquidated by sealed bids. Most of the seats in the lower and middle bowls were sold in bulk to high schools and colleges while pairs were sold to individuals; most of the upper bowl seats were recycled. The stadium's lower bowl and loading docks were demolished by mid-August. From September 16 to 30, 2017, memorabilia from the Georgia Dome was sold in an online auction format by Schneider Industries.[48][49][8][50]

 
 
The Dome before and after the implosion

Demolition officials from Adamo Demolition, the company contracted for the job,[51] stated that the pressure from the implosion needed to go up from the roof and not out through the sides to ensure that Mercedes-Benz Stadium and other nearby buildings were not damaged during the demolition; to protect nearby structures, construction felt was placed over the four corners of the Dome, and a 70 foot (21 m) tall fence covered in the same material was erected between the Dome and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To ensure that the roof fell in place during the implosion, parts of the concrete ring supporting the roof had been chipped away and ventilation holes were cut into the roof fabric.[50] 4,800 pounds (2,200 kg) of explosives were used to bring the Dome down within 12 seconds.[52]

 
The remains of the Dome with Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the background.

Due to the large exclusion zone required for the demolition, no public viewing areas were made available; additionally, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority officials announced that rail service west of the Five Points station would be suspended on the day of demolition until MARTA safety inspectors certified that the tunnels which run below the Dome site were safe for trains to operate. GWCCA officials stated that the implosion would be broadcast live by WSB-TV as well as livestreamed on the official websites of the Falcons, Atlanta United FC, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.[53][54] Live coverage of the implosion on the Weather Channel was blocked at the last moment by a MARTA bus that stopped in front of the camera just seconds before the implosion.[55]

While the implosion was considered successful with the roof and a majority of the structure felled, the eastern wall and the northwest gate of the Dome were left standing after the implosion.[56] Although the Dome's proximity to adjacent structures was a major concern, with Mercedes-Benz Stadium only 83 feet (25 m) away from the Dome, demolition officials stated that bringing the roof down was the biggest challenge due to its unique design. The Georgia World Congress Center and Mercedes-Benz Stadium were undamaged during the first implosion, although the new stadium did receive a heavy dusting.[56] Initially, demolition officials stated that the two remaining sections would be brought down manually with hydraulic excavators; however, after inspections determined that the explosive charges did not detonate, a supplementary implosion took place on the morning of December 20 at 1:00 am EST. A window at one of the GWCC buildings was shattered during the second implosion but was quickly replaced.[57][58]

Following the implosion, most of the concrete from the Georgia Dome remained on site, crushed into smaller pieces to be used as infill material while steel and other materials were separated and recycled.[50] Most of the Georgia Dome site became greenspace for tailgating at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and other community events.[59] On April 21, 2017, GWCCA officials announced that The Home Depot acquired the naming rights to the 13-acre (53,000 m2) park prior to its construction, adopting the name of "The Home Depot Backyard".[60] Cleanup of debris from the Georgia Dome site was completed by late February 2018 with construction of the Home Depot Backyard beginning shortly thereafter; the new park officially opened on September 11, 2018.[61][62] Ground was broken for a new high-rise convention center hotel on May 19, 2021; the new hotel will be located between the Home Depot Backyard and GWCC Building C, and will be the first newly constructed hotel for Hilton's Signia brand. The new hotel is projected to open in January 2024.[63]

A historical marker erected by the GWCCA and the Georgia Historical Society commemorating the Georgia Dome's legacy was dedicated on September 6, 2018.[64]

Events hosted edit

Football edit

 
The Falcons hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011

The Dome was home to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. The stadium also hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. The Falcons didn't qualify for the playoffs both times that the Dome hosted the Super Bowl; despite a 14-2 regular season in 1998 which was capped off with a Super Bowl appearance,[65] the Falcons slumped to a 5–11 record in 1999. The final NFL Game at the Georgia Dome was the 2016 NFC Championship between the Falcons and the Green Bay Packers, with the Falcons winning 44–21 to advance to their second Super Bowl in franchise history.

The Dome was also the annual host (since 1998) to FCS Classic football game between Florida A&M Rattlers and another HBCU opponent (Southern Jaguars in 2011 and Tennessee State Tigers in prior years), and the annual host to the Southeastern Conference Football Championship Game and the Chick-fil-A Bowl (also known as the Peach Bowl) post-season college football games. From 2015 to 2016, the Dome hosted the Celebration Bowl, the annual post-season bowl match up between the MEAC and SWAC.[66] On January 2, 2006, the Georgia Dome hosted the Nokia Sugar Bowl, between the University of Georgia and West Virginia University. The game was held in Atlanta, Georgia, since the game's usual venue, the Louisiana Superdome, was unable host due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.[67]

From the program's inception in 2010 until 2016, the stadium was home of the NCAA Division I Georgia State Panthers of Georgia State University. Subsequently, with the Dome's impending closure, the university acquired the Atlanta Braves' former Turner Field baseball park and renovated it to Georgia State Stadium for college football.

The Georgia Dome also annually hosted the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) football semi-finals until 2007 and hosted the football state championships from 2008 to 2016.[68]

Basketball edit

The Georgia Dome hosted the NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball National Championship in 2002, 2007, and 2013, along with regional semi-finals and finals in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2012 and NCAA Women's Final Four in 2003. The SEC men's basketball tournament has been held at the Georgia Dome during 10 seasons, most recently in 2014. The ACC men's basketball tournament has been held at the Georgia Dome on two occasions, in 2001 and 2009. The NCAA Division I Basketball's Champions Classic was held at the dome in 2012.

It was also one of two homes, along with the facility then known as Alexander Memorial Coliseum, for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks during the construction of State Farm Arena from 1997 to 1999 on the site of the former Omni Coliseum.[69] While playing at the Georgia Dome on March 27, 1998, the Atlanta Hawks set a then-NBA single-game attendance record with 62,046 fans against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.[70]

Olympics edit

For the 1996 Summer Olympics, one half of the arena hosted the basketball competitions (including final) while the other half hosted the artistic gymnastics events and team handball (men's final).[71][72]

Soccer edit

The Georgia Dome held a number of international soccer matches. On June 24, 2009, the Dome hosted its first ever soccer match between Mexico and Venezuela in front of 51,115 fans, with grass laid over the FieldTurf.[73] On February 9, 2011, Mexico and Bosnia and Herzegovina played a friendly match in front of 50,507 fans.[74][75] On July 20, 2013, the Dome hosted two quarter-final match-ups of the 2013 Gold Cup—Panama vs. Cuba and Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago—in front of 54,229 fans.[76]

The stadium was an official candidate venue for hosting matches as part of the United States' bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but Qatar was selected to host the tournament.[77]

Other Events edit

The Georgia Dome was also a prominent stop for many music acts including Alabama, Guns N' Roses, U2, KISS, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Billy Joel, Taylor Swift, Chuck Berry, Smash Mouth, The Beach Boys, Kid Rock, Phil Collins, Backstreet Boys, Korn, Metallica, Skillet, Beyoncé, and many more. It was also home to the video game convention E3 from 1997 to 1998.[78][79][80] In 1998, Gaither Homecoming hosted two Homecoming concerts, Atlanta Homecoming and All Day Singin' At The Dome.

Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament Spectators
June 24, 2009   Mexico 4–0   Venezuela International Friendly 51,115
February 9, 2011   Mexico 2–0   Bosnia and Herzegovina 50,507
July 20, 2013   Panama 6–1   Cuba 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals 54,229
  Mexico 1–0   Trinidad and Tobago
February 13, 2014   United States women 8–0   Russia women Women's International Friendly 16,133
March 5, 2014   Mexico 0–0   Nigeria International Friendly 59,066
July 22, 2015   Jamaica 2–1   United States 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals 70,511
  Mexico 2–1   Panama
May 28, 2016   Mexico 1–0   Paraguay International Friendly 63,049
September 18, 2016   United States women 3–1   Netherlands women Women's International Friendly 15,652

Drum Corps International edit

The stadium also hosted the Drum Corps International (DCI) Southeastern Championship from 2006 to 2016. The inaugural event featured 22 drum corps in the old fashioned Prelims/Finals one-day format. During the competition, the stadium was the first, and only indoor rain delay, when an upper deck rain gutter leaked inside the stadium. The 2006 competition was won by The Cavaliers, becoming the first of only four corps to win in the 11 years the stadium hosted the event.

From 2007 to 2014, the Blue Devils would win an unprecedented 8 straight victories at the annual Southeastern Championship. The win streak would be snapped in 2015 by Carolina Crown with its fan-favorite production of "Inferno"

With the announcement of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to be opened in the summer of 2017, the 2016 tour season would be the last hurrah inside the dome. Though the 2016 season would be the last in the dome, it would prove to be a historical one at that, with the Bluecoats powering their way to the top to win the last competition in the stadium, bringing the corps' first Southeast Championship and later on their first DCI World Championship Title.

While the 2017 show was scheduled to be in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, construction delays would make the venue not ready for the July 29 event, which would find a temporary home at McEachern High School in Powder Springs. DCI hosted the 2018 and 2019 Southeast Championships at the new stadium.

Wrestling edit

The Georgia Dome hosted WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, 2011, as well as WrestleMania Axxess in the Georgia World Congress Center; WrestleMania XXVII was the last WWE event held in the Georgia Dome.

WCW Monday Nitro was hosted in the Georgia Dome twice in 1998 and twice again in 1999; WWE Monday Night Raw was hosted 4 times in the stadium between 1999 and 2001.

 
The interior of the Georgia Dome prior to the 2008 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

See also edit

References edit

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  77. ^ United States Soccer Federation (April 23, 2009). . Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  78. ^ "Georgia Dome Atlanta Concert Setlists". setlist.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  79. ^ "E3 Guide 1997". ign.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  80. ^ "E3 Guide 1998". ign.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.

External links edit

  • Georgia Dome at StadiumDB.com
  • Georgia Dome at Structurae
Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Atlanta Falcons

1992 – 2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by Home of the
Atlanta Hawks

1997 – 1999
Succeeded by
Preceded by
First stadium
Home of the
Georgia State Panthers football team

2010 – 2016
Succeeded by
Preceded by Home of the
SEC Championship Game

1994 – 2016
Succeeded by
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Preceded by Home of the
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

1993 – 2016
Succeeded by
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Preceded by Home of the
Sugar Bowl

2006
Succeeded by
Louisiana Superdome
Preceded by NCAA Men's Division I
Basketball tournament
Finals Venue

2002
2007
2013
Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of the Super Bowl
XXVIII 1994
XXXIV 2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of WrestleMania
2011 (XXVII)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of NFC Championship Game
2013
2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of FIRST Robotics World Championship
2004–2010
Succeeded by

georgia, dome, domed, stadium, southeastern, united, states, located, atlanta, between, downtown, east, vine, city, west, owned, operated, state, georgia, part, georgia, world, congress, center, authority, successor, mercedes, benz, stadium, built, adjacent, s. The Georgia Dome was a domed stadium in the Southeastern United States Located in Atlanta between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west it was owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority Its successor Mercedes Benz Stadium was built adjacent to the south and opened on August 26 2017 The Georgia Dome was demolished on November 20 2017 7 Georgia DomeThe Georgia Dome in 1996Address1 Georgia Dome Drive NorthwestAtlanta GeorgiaUnited StatesCoordinates33 45 29 N 84 24 04 W 33 758 N 84 401 W 33 758 84 401Public transitDome GWCC Philips Arena CNN Center MARTA station Vine City MARTA station OwnerGeorgia World Congress Center AuthorityOperatorGeorgia World Congress Center AuthorityCapacityFootball 71 228Georgia State football 28 155 4 Basketball 71 000 5 Total Capacity 80 000 6 SurfaceFieldTurf 2003 2017 AstroTurf 1992 2002 ConstructionBroke groundNovember 22 1989OpenedSeptember 6 1992 31 years ago 1992 09 06 ClosedJune 9 2017 2017 06 09 1 DemolishedNovember 20 2017 2017 11 20 Construction cost 214 million 446 million in 2022 dollars 2 ArchitectHeery International Rosser FABRAP International and tvsdesignProject managerBarton Malow 3 Structural engineerWeidlinger Associates 3 General contractorBeers Georgia Dome Team 3 TenantsCollege footballPeach Bowl NCAA 1993 2016 Georgia State Panthers NCAA 2010 2016 Celebration Bowl NCAA 2015 2016 Professional footballAtlanta Falcons NFL 1992 2016 BasketballAtlanta Hawks NBA 1997 1999 The Georgia Dome was the home stadium for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League NFL and the Georgia State University Panthers football team It hosted two Super Bowls XXVIII and XXXIV 25 editions of the Peach Bowl January 1993 December 2016 and 23 SEC Championship Games 1994 2016 In addition the Georgia Dome also hosted several soccer matches since 2009 with attendances over 50 000 In its 25 years of operation the Georgia Dome hosted over 1 400 events attended by over 37 million people 8 The Georgia Dome was the only stadium in the United States to host the Olympics Super Bowl and Final Four 9 10 11 At its debut in 1992 the Georgia Dome was the second largest covered stadium in the world by capacity behind the Pontiac Silverdome it was also surpassed by AT amp T Stadium in Arlington Texas and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Wales Contents 1 History 1 1 Facility information 1 2 Surface 1 3 Renovations 1 4 Major weather related issues 1 5 Final years and replacement 1 6 Demolition 2 Events hosted 2 1 Football 2 2 Basketball 2 3 Olympics 2 4 Soccer 2 5 Other Events 2 6 Drum Corps International 2 7 Wrestling 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory editFacility information edit The Georgia Dome was completed in 1992 at a cost of 214 million making it one of the largest state funded construction projects in Georgia history 12 13 The stadium seated 71 228 for football approximately 80 000 for concerts and 71 000 for basketball when the stadium fully opened and 40 000 for basketball and gymnastics when the stadium was sectioned off one half closed off by a large curtain 14 For most Georgia State football games the dome was configured with 28 155 seats with tickets for only the bulk of the lower level and the club level seats on sale 4 15 The record for overall attendance at the Georgia Dome came during a college football game with 80 892 at the SEC Championship Game in 2008 citation needed 16 The Dome had 5 740 club seats and 171 luxury boxes The executives suites fit 16 24 people while eight super suites added in 2007 were capable of accommodating 57 96 guests 17 There were also four restaurants bars There were 12 escalators and 9 elevators 18 19 20 The structure was located on 9 19 acres 3 72 hectares of land the Dome had a height of 271 ft 83 m a structure length of 746 ft 227 m a structure width of 607 ft 185 m and a total floor area of 102 150 square feet 9 490 m2 The stadium was the largest cable supported dome in the world Its roof was made of teflon coated fiberglass fabric and had an area of 374 584 square feet 34 800 m2 From its completion until the December 31 1999 opening of the 20 acre 8 09 hectare Millennium Dome in London it was the largest hooked domed structure of any type in the world Matt Hartley Lighting LLC designed the lighting for the concourse of the Georgia Dome 21 Surface edit The Georgia Dome originally used AstroTurf artificial surface for its football events In 2003 Arthur Blank the new owner of Atlanta Falcons funded the installation of the new infilled FieldTurf artificial surface system 22 23 Renovations edit In 2006 the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced a 300 million renovation to the Georgia Dome 24 25 The project was separated into two stages The first stage which took place before the 2007 NFL season focused on updating the premium seating areas including the creation of eight super suites as well as an owners club most of them now incorporating new plasma TVs 18 26 In 2008 the exterior of the stadium was repainted replacing the original teal and maroon color scheme with a red black and silver theme to match the Falcons team colors the stadium s original teal seats were replaced with red seats in the lower and upper levels and black seats in the middle level The entrance gates and concourses were also renovated and updated before the 2008 football season 27 28 In 2009 the video screens in both end zones were relocated to a new exterior monument sign on Northside Drive The interior end zones each received a new and considerably wider HD video screen that significantly enhanced views of replays as well as graphics and digital presentations A new sound system was installed in the same year replacing the previous system that was nearly 20 years old In 2008 the Georgia Dome started showing safety videos before games presented by Deltalina flight attendant mascot of Delta Air Lines The videos satirize Delta s massively popular Deltalina inflight safety videos The videos theme was Delta Safety First 29 30 Major weather related issues edit Three years after the completion of the Dome the integrity of its roof became an issue During a Falcons pre season game in August 1995 a severe rainstorm caused water to pool on the fabric tearing part of the material and causing a section of the roof to fall into the stadium The storm was intense enough that the roof panels could be seen moving during the game and the water and roof material later fell with enough force to smash seats in the upper decks and knock holes in concrete floors The collapse occurred after fans left the stadium and no one was injured during the incident The roof was eventually repaired in a way that prevented similar incidents from occurring in the future 31 32 In the 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak on March 14 2008 during the 2008 SEC men s basketball tournament a tornado ripped two holes in the dome during the Alabama Mississippi State quarterfinal game delaying the game for about an hour The quarterfinal game to follow between the Kentucky Wildcats and Georgia Bulldogs was postponed until the following day 32 The resulting damage forced the rest of the tournament to be moved to the Alexander Memorial Coliseum now known as McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech 33 Final years and replacement edit Main article Mercedes Benz Stadium nbsp Aerial photo of Georgia Dome the land next to it has been cleared for construction of the new Mercedes Benz Stadium nbsp The Georgia Dome right and Mercedes Benz Stadium on July 2 2017In 2010 the Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced plans for a new stadium just south of the Georgia Dome At the time the Georgia Dome had just completed a major update and was still relatively young 34 The Dome had been designed specifically for football while a handful of NFL teams still made do with multi purpose stadiums shared with MLB teams plus the Dome had plenty of luxury suites and premium seating which were important revenue generating features lacking other older venues which made them obsolete Lastly the new stadium was located directly adjacent to the Georgia Dome in contrast to older multi purpose stadiums whose suburban locale did not match up with a team s fanbase Nonetheless sports economist Rod Fort noted that pro sports team owners thought they could get away with demanding new stadiums every year with public money plus the Falcons did not have control of the Dome nor the profits which made them less competitive than other teams that owned state of the art facilities 35 36 In addition Arthur Blank wanted a state of the art facility for his NFL and MLS teams and was willing to pitch in a huge amount of money to make it happen as well as wanting to host another Super Bowl 37 38 Also with the Atlanta climate the Falcons long desired to play outdoors in either an open air stadium or retractable roof stadium rather than inside a dome 39 At the time it was planned to retain the Georgia Dome to continue hosting non NFL events 40 41 42 In justifying the need for a new venue Falcons CEO and president Rich McKay said that the Georgia Dome was a really functional building that served its purpose very well We did not want to build a better Georgia Dome That was not the object If we would have done that we would have renovated the Georgia Dome We really wanted to change the game and do it for a long long time Stadium general manager Scott Jenkins described the new stadium s advantages over the Dome saying The LED displays we have whether it s every seat is two inches wider than the Georgia Dome almost all the concourses connect so you can circumnavigate the building you don t get cut off You can move vertically throughout the building we have really wide staircases we have twice the elevators twice the escalators compared to the Georgia Dome 43 McKay said of it The architecture I think speaks for itself I hope the first time you re in it yeah you re wowed by the architecture but more wowed by the fan experience SB Nation noted that while the Georgia Dome did its job for 24 years it wasn t anything special That s not the case with the Mercedes Benz Stadium Walking up to it feels like you re approaching a darn spaceship 19 The new stadium which would be known as Mercedes Benz Stadium received approval from the city of Atlanta Fulton County and Georgia state governments in 2013 Construction commenced and ground was broken in 2014 The Falcons final game in the Dome was the 2016 NFC Championship Game on January 22 2017 with a 44 21 victory over the Green Bay Packers that sent the Falcons to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history The stadium s final public event took place on March 4 and 5 2017 with back to back Monster Jam shows 44 Demolition edit Shortly after the Georgia Dome s closing a group presented a petition to the governor s office to save the stadium from demolition arguing that it was still in good condition and that its loss would be wasteful While the Falcons initially sought an open air stadium to complement the Georgia Dome GWCCA officials ultimately concluded that maintaining two 70 000 seat stadiums was not financially feasible and the Georgia Dome s fate was already sealed when Mercedes Benz Stadium was approved in 2013 45 46 Demolition of the Georgia Dome was intended to begin shortly after the stadium s final event however due to construction delays caused by the complexity of Mercedes Benz Stadium s eight panel retractable roof demolition of the Georgia Dome was postponed until the new stadium s certificate of occupancy could be issued GWCCA officials stated that the Georgia Dome would remain nominally operational until Mercedes Benz Stadium was ready however the Dome s artificial turf had been removed and its offices vacated prior to the announcement of the new stadium s delay 47 On June 9 2017 Steve Cannon CEO of the Falcons parent company AMB Group stated that construction officials were confident that Mercedes Benz Stadium would be ready in time for the Falcons first preseason game and the process of decommissioning the Georgia Dome had resumed with the Dome scheduled for implosion on November 20 2017 at 7 30 am EST 1 In July 2017 GWCCA officials removed equipment they intend to reuse either at Mercedes Benz Stadium or elsewhere on the GWCC campus while other equipment was liquidated by sealed bids Most of the seats in the lower and middle bowls were sold in bulk to high schools and colleges while pairs were sold to individuals most of the upper bowl seats were recycled The stadium s lower bowl and loading docks were demolished by mid August From September 16 to 30 2017 memorabilia from the Georgia Dome was sold in an online auction format by Schneider Industries 48 49 8 50 nbsp nbsp The Dome before and after the implosion Demolition officials from Adamo Demolition the company contracted for the job 51 stated that the pressure from the implosion needed to go up from the roof and not out through the sides to ensure that Mercedes Benz Stadium and other nearby buildings were not damaged during the demolition to protect nearby structures construction felt was placed over the four corners of the Dome and a 70 foot 21 m tall fence covered in the same material was erected between the Dome and Mercedes Benz Stadium To ensure that the roof fell in place during the implosion parts of the concrete ring supporting the roof had been chipped away and ventilation holes were cut into the roof fabric 50 4 800 pounds 2 200 kg of explosives were used to bring the Dome down within 12 seconds 52 nbsp The remains of the Dome with Mercedes Benz Stadium in the background Due to the large exclusion zone required for the demolition no public viewing areas were made available additionally Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority officials announced that rail service west of the Five Points station would be suspended on the day of demolition until MARTA safety inspectors certified that the tunnels which run below the Dome site were safe for trains to operate GWCCA officials stated that the implosion would be broadcast live by WSB TV as well as livestreamed on the official websites of the Falcons Atlanta United FC and Mercedes Benz Stadium 53 54 Live coverage of the implosion on the Weather Channel was blocked at the last moment by a MARTA bus that stopped in front of the camera just seconds before the implosion 55 While the implosion was considered successful with the roof and a majority of the structure felled the eastern wall and the northwest gate of the Dome were left standing after the implosion 56 Although the Dome s proximity to adjacent structures was a major concern with Mercedes Benz Stadium only 83 feet 25 m away from the Dome demolition officials stated that bringing the roof down was the biggest challenge due to its unique design The Georgia World Congress Center and Mercedes Benz Stadium were undamaged during the first implosion although the new stadium did receive a heavy dusting 56 Initially demolition officials stated that the two remaining sections would be brought down manually with hydraulic excavators however after inspections determined that the explosive charges did not detonate a supplementary implosion took place on the morning of December 20 at 1 00 am EST A window at one of the GWCC buildings was shattered during the second implosion but was quickly replaced 57 58 Following the implosion most of the concrete from the Georgia Dome remained on site crushed into smaller pieces to be used as infill material while steel and other materials were separated and recycled 50 Most of the Georgia Dome site became greenspace for tailgating at Mercedes Benz Stadium and other community events 59 On April 21 2017 GWCCA officials announced that The Home Depot acquired the naming rights to the 13 acre 53 000 m2 park prior to its construction adopting the name of The Home Depot Backyard 60 Cleanup of debris from the Georgia Dome site was completed by late February 2018 with construction of the Home Depot Backyard beginning shortly thereafter the new park officially opened on September 11 2018 61 62 Ground was broken for a new high rise convention center hotel on May 19 2021 the new hotel will be located between the Home Depot Backyard and GWCC Building C and will be the first newly constructed hotel for Hilton s Signia brand The new hotel is projected to open in January 2024 63 A historical marker erected by the GWCCA and the Georgia Historical Society commemorating the Georgia Dome s legacy was dedicated on September 6 2018 64 Events hosted editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed March 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Football edit nbsp The Falcons hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011The Dome was home to the NFL s Atlanta Falcons The stadium also hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 The Falcons didn t qualify for the playoffs both times that the Dome hosted the Super Bowl despite a 14 2 regular season in 1998 which was capped off with a Super Bowl appearance 65 the Falcons slumped to a 5 11 record in 1999 The final NFL Game at the Georgia Dome was the 2016 NFC Championship between the Falcons and the Green Bay Packers with the Falcons winning 44 21 to advance to their second Super Bowl in franchise history The Dome was also the annual host since 1998 to FCS Classic football game between Florida A amp M Rattlers and another HBCU opponent Southern Jaguars in 2011 and Tennessee State Tigers in prior years and the annual host to the Southeastern Conference Football Championship Game and the Chick fil A Bowl also known as the Peach Bowl post season college football games From 2015 to 2016 the Dome hosted the Celebration Bowl the annual post season bowl match up between the MEAC and SWAC 66 On January 2 2006 the Georgia Dome hosted the Nokia Sugar Bowl between the University of Georgia and West Virginia University The game was held in Atlanta Georgia since the game s usual venue the Louisiana Superdome was unable host due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina 67 From the program s inception in 2010 until 2016 the stadium was home of the NCAA Division I Georgia State Panthers of Georgia State University Subsequently with the Dome s impending closure the university acquired the Atlanta Braves former Turner Field baseball park and renovated it to Georgia State Stadium for college football The Georgia Dome also annually hosted the Georgia High School Association GHSA football semi finals until 2007 and hosted the football state championships from 2008 to 2016 68 Basketball edit The Georgia Dome hosted the NCAA Final Four Men s Basketball National Championship in 2002 2007 and 2013 along with regional semi finals and finals in 2001 2004 2006 and 2012 and NCAA Women s Final Four in 2003 The SEC men s basketball tournament has been held at the Georgia Dome during 10 seasons most recently in 2014 The ACC men s basketball tournament has been held at the Georgia Dome on two occasions in 2001 and 2009 The NCAA Division I Basketball s Champions Classic was held at the dome in 2012 It was also one of two homes along with the facility then known as Alexander Memorial Coliseum for the NBA s Atlanta Hawks during the construction of State Farm Arena from 1997 to 1999 on the site of the former Omni Coliseum 69 While playing at the Georgia Dome on March 27 1998 the Atlanta Hawks set a then NBA single game attendance record with 62 046 fans against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 70 Olympics edit For the 1996 Summer Olympics one half of the arena hosted the basketball competitions including final while the other half hosted the artistic gymnastics events and team handball men s final 71 72 Soccer edit The Georgia Dome held a number of international soccer matches On June 24 2009 the Dome hosted its first ever soccer match between Mexico and Venezuela in front of 51 115 fans with grass laid over the FieldTurf 73 On February 9 2011 Mexico and Bosnia and Herzegovina played a friendly match in front of 50 507 fans 74 75 On July 20 2013 the Dome hosted two quarter final match ups of the 2013 Gold Cup Panama vs Cuba and Mexico vs Trinidad amp Tobago in front of 54 229 fans 76 The stadium was an official candidate venue for hosting matches as part of the United States bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup but Qatar was selected to host the tournament 77 Other Events edit The Georgia Dome was also a prominent stop for many music acts including Alabama Guns N Roses U2 KISS The Rolling Stones Elton John Billy Joel Taylor Swift Chuck Berry Smash Mouth The Beach Boys Kid Rock Phil Collins Backstreet Boys Korn Metallica Skillet Beyonce and many more It was also home to the video game convention E3 from 1997 to 1998 78 79 80 In 1998 Gaither Homecoming hosted two Homecoming concerts Atlanta Homecoming and All Day Singin At The Dome Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament SpectatorsJune 24 2009 nbsp Mexico 4 0 nbsp Venezuela International Friendly 51 115February 9 2011 nbsp Mexico 2 0 nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina 50 507July 20 2013 nbsp Panama 6 1 nbsp Cuba 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals 54 229 nbsp Mexico 1 0 nbsp Trinidad and TobagoFebruary 13 2014 nbsp United States women 8 0 nbsp Russia women Women s International Friendly 16 133March 5 2014 nbsp Mexico 0 0 nbsp Nigeria International Friendly 59 066July 22 2015 nbsp Jamaica 2 1 nbsp United States 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals 70 511 nbsp Mexico 2 1 nbsp PanamaMay 28 2016 nbsp Mexico 1 0 nbsp Paraguay International Friendly 63 049September 18 2016 nbsp United States women 3 1 nbsp Netherlands women Women s International Friendly 15 652Drum Corps International edit This section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information October 2020 The stadium also hosted the Drum Corps International DCI Southeastern Championship from 2006 to 2016 The inaugural event featured 22 drum corps in the old fashioned Prelims Finals one day format During the competition the stadium was the first and only indoor rain delay when an upper deck rain gutter leaked inside the stadium The 2006 competition was won by The Cavaliers becoming the first of only four corps to win in the 11 years the stadium hosted the event From 2007 to 2014 the Blue Devils would win an unprecedented 8 straight victories at the annual Southeastern Championship The win streak would be snapped in 2015 by Carolina Crown with its fan favorite production of Inferno With the announcement of the Mercedes Benz Stadium to be opened in the summer of 2017 the 2016 tour season would be the last hurrah inside the dome Though the 2016 season would be the last in the dome it would prove to be a historical one at that with the Bluecoats powering their way to the top to win the last competition in the stadium bringing the corps first Southeast Championship and later on their first DCI World Championship Title While the 2017 show was scheduled to be in the new Mercedes Benz Stadium construction delays would make the venue not ready for the July 29 event which would find a temporary home at McEachern High School in Powder Springs DCI hosted the 2018 and 2019 Southeast Championships at the new stadium Wrestling edit The Georgia Dome hosted WrestleMania XXVII on April 3 2011 as well as WrestleMania Axxess in the Georgia World Congress Center WrestleMania XXVII was the last WWE event held in the Georgia Dome WCW Monday Nitro was hosted in the Georgia Dome twice in 1998 and twice again in 1999 WWE Monday Night Raw was hosted 4 times in the stadium between 1999 and 2001 nbsp The interior of the Georgia Dome prior to the 2008 Chick fil A Kickoff GameSee also edit nbsp Architecture portal nbsp American football portalTension fabric building Tensile structureReferences edit a b Tucker Tim Georgia Dome implosion date set The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved June 12 2017 1634 1699 McCusker J J 1997 How Much Is That in Real Money A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States Addenda et Corrigenda PDF American Antiquarian Society 1700 1799 McCusker J J 1992 How Much Is That in Real Money A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States PDF American Antiquarian Society 1800 present Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Consumer Price Index estimate 1800 Retrieved May 28 2023 a b c Cable Top Football Columbia University a b Georgia Dome Georgia State Athletics Archived from the original on September 18 2018 Retrieved October 19 2011 Southeastern Conference secsports com Archived from the original on February 6 2008 Tucker Tim April 1 2013 Georgia Dome has a new look for Final Four The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved April 7 2013 Martin Jill November 20 2017 Georgia Dome imploded after 25 years of use CNN Retrieved November 20 2017 a b Tucker Tim September 16 2017 Liquidating the Georgia Dome Memorabilia sale underway The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved October 10 2017 Final Year Georgia World Congress Center Authority Archived from the original on December 2 2016 Retrieved January 15 2022 Martin Jill Georgia Dome farewell for Atlanta Falcons CNN Final Year Georgia World Congress Center Authority Georgia Dome through the years ajc Retrieved November 23 2018 Terrell Ross Georgia Dome Named An Iconic Site By The Georgia Historical Society GPB News Retrieved November 23 2018 Georgia Dome Georgia Historical Society Retrieved November 23 2018 Georgia Dome Seating Chart PDF Georgia State Athletics Retrieved October 19 2011 Southeastern Conference secsports com Archived from the original on December 8 2008 Mercedes Benz Stadium vs Georgia Dome August 25 2018 a b Premium Seating Georgia World Congress Center Authority Archived from the original on November 30 2016 Retrieved January 15 2022 a b Moriarty Morgan August 24 2017 Meet Atlanta s amazing new stadium 2017 s biggest college football stage SBNation com Courtney Martinez The Atlanta Journal Constitution Infographic Mercedes Benz Stadium v Georgia Dome by the numbers The Atlanta Journal Constitution Georgia Dome Concourse Lighting Chick fil A Peach Bowl Event Guide ticketcity com History of the Georgia Dome and its SEC Championship impact Saturday Down South December 3 2014 Retrieved November 23 2018 Falcons to pay for Georgia Dome facelift Atlanta Business Chronicle Retrieved November 23 2018 Georgia Dome Atlanta Falcons football stadium Stadiums of Pro Football AlantaFalcons com Striking changes usher in new era for Dome Archived from the original on May 16 2008 AlantaFalcons com Dome Falcons announce new renovations Archived from the original on May 16 2008 AlantaFalcons com Dome Renovations Photo Album Archived from the original on May 29 2008 DELTALINA WAGS HER FINGER AT THE DOME Peach Buzz Access Atlanta Atlanta Journal Constitution September 24 2008 Archived from the original on January 17 2010 Delta Official Airline of the Atlanta Falcons Delta Air Lines September 26 2008 Archived March 13 2012 at the Wayback Machine Georgia Dome Is Damaged The New York Times August 22 1995 a b Storm hits Georgia Dome interrupts SEC play August 23 2015 Archived from the original on March 15 2008 Retrieved March 15 2008 Tornado Kills 2 Pummels Downtown by Tim Eberly and Paul Shea for The Atlanta Journal Constitution March 15 2008 Retrieved March 15 2008 Facing the reality of NRG Stadium upgrades HoustonChronicle com Houston Chronicle February 12 2017 26 Atlanta Falcons Forbes Archived from the original on August 29 2010 Georgia Dome torn down at age 25 because that s how we 21st century Americans roll Field of Schemes November 20 2017 Mark Bradley The Atlanta Journal Constitution It s Arthur Blank s Super Bowl as if you d hadn t noticed Atlanta Journal Constitution Falcons Owner Arthur Blank Brought Super Bowl LIII to Atlanta Ranking the best and worst NFL stadiums from No 1 Lambeau to 31 Soldier October 16 2015 McKay Hope for new stadium by 2015 ESPN May 21 2010 Retrieved September 9 2012 Ledbetter D Orlando Stafford Leon May 19 2010 Falcons Prefer New Open Air Stadium Downtown The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved September 9 2012 Trubey J Scott Saporta Maria Maria May 19 2010 Falcons Want Open Air Stadium North of GWCC Atlanta Business Chronicle Retrieved September 9 2012 Moriarty Morgan August 26 2017 Yep the Georgia Dome is already done SBNation com Falcons vs Monster Trucks Falcons win WXIA TV Retrieved January 2 2017 McKay Hope for new stadium by 2015 ESPN May 21 2010 Retrieved May 29 2019 Richards Doug Last minute effort afoot to prevent Georgia Dome demolition WXIA Retrieved October 6 2017 Tucker Tim Mercedes Benz Stadium opening is pushed back again The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved April 18 2017 Tucker Tim February 14 2017 How the Georgia Dome will be emptied and liquidated The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved October 6 2017 Tucker Tim Inside the Georgia Dome a shell of its former self The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved August 6 2017 a b c Gehlbach Steve October 20 2017 Georgia Dome implosion set for Nov 20 WSB TV Retrieved October 24 2017 Demolition Contractor Implodes Georgia Dome in One Shot For Construction Pros Retrieved March 1 2019 Choi Sophia November 15 2017 4 800 pounds of explosives ready to bring down Georgia Dome WSB TV Retrieved November 16 2017 Tucker Tim TV plan set for Georgia Dome implosion no public viewing area The Atlanta Journal Constitution No October 31 2017 Retrieved November 6 2017 MARTA November 20th Dome Implosion Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Retrieved November 17 2017 Georgia Dome Bus drives in front of camera filming huge stadium demolition ruining everything ABC News Online Reuters November 21 2017 a b Tucker Tim November 20 2017 Georgia Dome crumbles well most of it The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved November 20 2017 Second implosion scheduled to bring down remainder of Georgia Dome myajc Retrieved December 14 2017 Burns Steve Take 2 Georgia Dome the rest of it comes down The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved December 21 2017 Tucker Tim January 21 2017 What happens to Georgia Dome after NFC title game The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved March 5 2017 Stafford Leon April 21 2017 Georgia Dome site to become park after demolition The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved April 26 2017 Former Georgia Dome site clearing what s next Georgia World Congress Center Authority March 9 2018 Retrieved July 29 2018 Home Depot Backyard opens at Mercedes Benz Stadium WAGA TV September 12 2018 Retrieved September 12 2018 GWCC Campus Development Headquarter Hotel Georgia World Congress Center Authority Retrieved April 4 2022 Poole Shelia September 6 2018 Former Georgia Dome site gets historical marker The Atlanta Journal Constitution Retrieved September 15 2018 Matt Winkeljohn The Atlanta Journal Constitution A look back at the Falcons Super season of 1998 The Atlanta Journal Constitution Bowl History Celebration Bowl Celebration Bowl Retrieved November 23 2018 West Virginia vs Georgia Game Recap January 2 2006 ESPN ESPN Retrieved September 15 2022 Georgia High School Association Constitution and By Laws 2008 2009 pg 70 PDF Archived from the original PDF on August 28 2008 The Palm Beach Post Gators view Georgia Dome as someplace like home Georgia Dome is now history Macon com Retrieved November 23 2018 1996 Summer Olympics official report Volume 1 p 540 1996 Summer Olympics official report Volume 3 pp 451 456 Georgia Dome converting to grass for soccer Mexico will play a soccer match at Georgia Dome Atlanta Journal Constitution Bosnia vs Mexico Ends with Mexico Win CBS News February 9 2011 FOXXoccerTrax 65 0 0 Attendance 54 229 record crowd for soccer here at the Georgia Dome FOXSoccerTrax Archived from the original on December 13 2013 Retrieved September 15 2013 United States Soccer Federation April 23 2009 The Official Site of U S Soccer Federation Services Archived from the original on April 26 2009 Retrieved May 9 2009 Georgia Dome Atlanta Concert Setlists setlist com Retrieved June 12 2023 E3 Guide 1997 ign com Retrieved June 12 2023 E3 Guide 1998 ign com Retrieved June 12 2023 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Georgia Dome Official website Georgia Dome at StadiumDB com Georgia Dome at StructuraeEvents and tenantsPreceded byAtlanta Fulton County Stadium Home of theAtlanta Falcons1992 2017 Succeeded byMercedes Benz StadiumPreceded byOmni Coliseum Home of theAtlanta Hawks1997 1999 Succeeded byPhilips ArenaPreceded byFirst stadium Home of theGeorgia State Panthers football team2010 2016 Succeeded byGeorgia State StadiumPreceded byLegion Field Home of theSEC Championship Game1994 2016 Succeeded byMercedes Benz StadiumPreceded byAtlanta Fulton County Stadium Home of theChick Fil A Peach Bowl1993 2016 Succeeded byMercedes Benz StadiumPreceded byLouisiana Superdome Home of theSugar Bowl2006 Succeeded byLouisiana SuperdomePreceded byH H H MetrodomeRCA DomeMercedes Benz Superdome NCAA Men s Division IBasketball tournamentFinals Venue200220072013 Succeeded byLouisiana SuperdomeAlamodomeAT amp T StadiumPreceded byRose BowlPro Player Stadium Host of the Super BowlXXVIII 1994XXXIV 2000 Succeeded byJoe Robbie StadiumRaymond James StadiumPreceded byUniversity of Phoenix Stadium Host of WrestleMania2011 XXVII Succeeded bySun Life StadiumPreceded byCandlestick ParkBank of America Stadium Host of NFC Championship Game2013 2017 Succeeded byCenturyLink FieldLincoln Financial FieldPreceded byReliant Park Host of FIRST Robotics World Championship2004 2010 Succeeded byEdward Jones Dome Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Georgia Dome amp 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