SEATTLE — Seattle's iconic Kingdome was demolished in a controlled implosion March 26, 2000.
Sparks from a 21.6-mile web of detonation cord flickered over the ribbed surface of the dome, followed by 5,800 gelatin dynamite charge explosions. The 25,000-ton roof collapsed into a billowing dust cloud in less than 20 seconds
Thousands of spectators cheered from office towers and hillsides around the city as the series of blasts crumbled the former home of the Seattle Seahawks and Mariners.
The Kingdome – dubbed the mushroom, the concrete cupcake and other less charitable terms over the years – was completed in 1976 at a cost of $67 million. The Seahawks made their debut in the Kingdome that year, and baseball's Mariners arrived a year later.
The dome was a necessity in the Rainy City, but fans complained that the concrete stadium was too small for football and not intimate enough for baseball. What's more, it leaked. And in 1994, four 15-pound ceiling tiles crashed into the stands just hours before a Mariners' game.
The final Major League Baseball game in the Kingdome was played on June 27, 1999. The Mariners played their first game at Safeco Field – now T-Mobile Park – three weeks later.
The last Seahawks game in the Kingdome was Jan. 9, 2000.
The Seahawks played two seasons at Husky Stadium before moving to Seahawks Stadium, which was renamed Qwest Field in 2004 and CenturyLink Field in 2011.
Sounders FC hosted their inaugural match in what was then called Qwest Field on March 19, 1999.
Seattle's XFL team the Seattle Dragons hosted their first game at CenturyLink Field on Feb. 8, 2020.
Though the Kingdome was demolished in 2000, it wasn't until 2015 that King County collected enough money to pay it off. Through hotel and motel taxes, the debt was paid off about nine months early.
