Georgia Dome

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Georgia Dome
Georgia Dome.svg
Location 1 Georgia Dome Drive Northwest
Atlanta, Georgia 30313-1591
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Public transit Dome / GWCC / Philips Arena / CNN Center (MARTA station)
Vine City (MARTA station)
Owner State of Georgia
Operator Georgia World Congress Center Authority
Capacity Football: 74,228
Georgia State football: 28,155[1]
Basketball: 71,000[2]
Total Capacity: 80,000[3]
Surface Astroturf (1992–2002)
FieldTurf Classic HD (2003–present)
Construction
Broke ground November 22, 1989
Opened September 6, 1992
Construction cost US$214 million
($361 million in 2024 dollars[4])
Architect Heery International; Rosser FABRAP International; and tvsdesign
Project manager Barton-Malow[5]
Structural engineer Weidlinger Associates[5]
General contractor Beers/Georgia Dome Team[5]
Tenants
Atlanta Falcons (NFL) (1992–2016)
Peach Bowl (NCAA) (1992–present)
Georgia State Panthers (NCAA) (2010–present)
Atlanta Hawks (NBA) (1997–1999)

The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA's Georgia State Panthers football team. Also, it has hosted the Peach Bowl since 1992 and the SEC Championship Game since 1994. In addition, the Dome has also hosted several soccer matches since 2009 that have drawn over 50,000 fans.

The Dome is accessible by rail via MARTA's Blue and Green lines, which service the nearby Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center and Vine City stations.

The Georgia Dome was the largest domed structure in the world when it opened, but it has since been surpassed by the Millennium Dome in London (1999), Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Australia (2000), and National Stadium, Singapore (2015).[citation needed]

History

Construction

In 1992, the Georgia Dome was completed at a cost of $214 million (US), which came from the Georgia General Assembly, making it one of the largest state-funded construction projects in state history. It seats 74,228 for football, and can hold approximately: 80,000 for concerts, 71,000 for basketball when the dome is fully open and 40,000 for basketball and gymnastics when the dome is sectioned off (one half closed off by a large curtain). For most Georgia State football games, the dome is configured with 28,155 seats, with tickets for only the bulk of the lower level and the club-level seats on sale.[1][6] The record for overall attendance at the Georgia Dome is 80,892 for the 2008 SEC Championship Game in football.[citation needed][7]

The structure is located on 9.19 acres (3.72 ha) of land; the dome has a height of 270.67 feet (82.50 m), a structure length of 745.75 feet (227.30 m), a structure width of 606.96 feet (185.00 m), and a total floor area of 102,149.51 square feet (9,490.000 m2). The dome is the largest cable-supported dome in the world. Its roof is made of teflon-coated fiberglass fabric and has an area of 374,584.08 square feet (34,800.000 m2). From its completion until the December 31, 1999 opening of the 20-acre (8.1 ha) Millennium Dome in London, it was the largest hooked domed structure of any type in the world, but still remains the largest indoor sporting facility in the United States.

Surface

The Georgia Dome originally used AstroTurf artificial surface for its football events. In 2003, Arthur Blank, the new owner of Atlanta Falcons, funded the new FieldTurf artificial surface system.[8]

Renovations

In 2006, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced a $300 million renovation to the Georgia Dome. 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.[9] 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 100 and 300 levels and black seats in the Verizon Wireless Club Level (200 Level). The entrance gates and concourses were also renovated and updated before the 2008 football season.[10][11] In 2009, the video screens in both endzones were relocated to a new exterior monument sign on Northside Drive. The interior endzones each received a new and considerably wider High Definition video screen that significantly enhances 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.

Major weather-related issues

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.[12][13]

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.[13] The resulting damage forced the rest of the tournament to be moved to the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, now known as Hank McCamish Pavilion, at Georgia Tech.[14]

Replacement

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

It was announced in 2010 that the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, the stadium's operator, is pursuing a new stadium with a retractable roof, just south of the Georgia Dome. Upon completion of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017, the Georgia Dome will be demolished to make way for parking for the new stadium.

Events hosted

The Georgia Dome at an Atlanta Falcons Game

Football

The Dome is home to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, the NCAA Division I Georgia State Panthers of Georgia State University, 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. The stadium also hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.

The Georgia Dome also annually hosted the Georgia High School Association football semi-finals until 2007 and now hosts the GHSA state championship games for all classifications at the Dome.[15]

As a result of damage done to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, the Sugar Bowl game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Georgia Bulldogs was played at the Georgia Dome on January 2, 2006, the first time "the South's Biggest Bowl Game" was ever played outside the state of Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl finished a string of three football games in four days that started with the 2005 Peach Bowl between LSU and Miami (Florida) and an NFL game between the Falcons and the Carolina Panthers two days later. The Georgia Dome is now the alternative site for the Sugar Bowl where the Mercedes-Benz Superdome cannot host due to weather or other reasons.[16]

Basketball

The Georgia Dome has 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.

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 Philips Arena from 1997 to 1999.[17] 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.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Olympics

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).[18][19]

Soccer

The dome has 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.[20] On February 9, 2011, Mexico and Bosnia and Herzegovina played a friendly match in front of 50,507 fans.[21][22] 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.[23] In March 2014, the Dome hosted a 0-0 draw between Mexico and Nigeria in front of 68,212 fans, the largest ever crowd for a soccer match in Atlanta.[24]

The dome has also hosted a number of exhibition matches between club teams. On July 22, 2009, the Dome hosted a match between A.C. Milan of Italian Serie A league and Club América of Mexican Primera División before 50,306 fans.[25] On July 28, 2010, Club América revisited the Dome in a friendly against Manchester City from the English Premier League in front of 33,000 fans.[26][27]

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.[28]

The stadium held an international women's friendly between United States and Russia on February 12, 2014.

On April 16, 2014 it was announced by Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, that he had secured the rights to a new Major League Soccer franchise that is expected to begin play in 2017. The new team, later unveiled as Atlanta United FC, along with the Atlanta Falcons, will become the primary tenants of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scheduled to open in time for the start of the 2017 NFL season.[29]

Matches at Georgia Dome

Date Competition Team Result Team Spectators
June 24, 2009 Friendly  Mexico 4-0  Venezuela 51,115
July 19, 2009 2009 World Football Challenge Mexico Club América 2-1 Italy AC Milan 53,600
July 28, 2010 Friendly Mexico Club América 1-1 England Manchester City 33,000
February 9, 2011 Friendly  Mexico 2-0  Bosnia and Herzegovina 50,507
July 20, 2013 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup  Panama 6-1  Cuba 54,229
 Mexico 1-0  Trinidad and Tobago
February 13, 2014 Friendly  United States women 8-0  Russia women 16,133
March 5, 2014 Friendly  Mexico 0-0  Nigeria 68,212
July 22, 2015 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals  United States 1-2  Jamaica 70,511
 Panama 1-2 (a.e.t)  Mexico

Wrestling

During the Monday Night War in the late 1990s both WWE Raw and WCW Nitro were held in the Georgia Dome with the July 6th 1998 episode of Nitro being one of the most watched and attended professional wrestling broadcasts. Over 40,000 attended the show.

Attendance record 71,617 fans at WrestleMania XXVII at the Georgia Dome.

In September 2009, it was reported that the city of Atlanta was seeking to host WrestleMania XXVII at the Georgia Dome.[30] A press conference was held on February 1, 2010 at the Georgia Dome to formally announce the event for Atlanta.[31] According to WWE's senior vice president of special events, John Saboor, Atlanta was ultimately chosen for, among other reasons, "their track record of success with large events, rich in its tradition with the WWE, great infrastructure."[32] The event marked the first time WrestleMania has been held in the state of Georgia.[31]

On April 3, 2011, The Georgia Dome hosted WWE's 27th annual flagship event, WrestleMania XXVII, which featured the return of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to host WrestleMania in his first appearance at the event since WrestleMania XX seven years prior. The event was attended by 71,617 fans.

Other events

The Georgia Dome has hosted an AMA Supercross Championship round almost uninterruptedly since 1997.[33]

On November 14, 1992, 45,000 people attended the Alabama Salutes Richard Petty concert at the Georgia Dome.[34] The event was held the night before the Hooters 500 at nearby Atlanta Motor Speedway. The event honored Petty, who was retiring from his NASCAR driving career.

The Professional Bull Riders' premier bull riding tour, the Built Ford Tough Series, visited the Georgia Dome from 2003 to 2005, and again in 2007 and 2012.

The USHRA Monster Jam series comes to the Georgia Dome every January for their winter season kickoff show. It is known as the "Super Bowl of Motorsports" and has become one of Monster Jam's biggest events in North America.

From 2004–10, the Georgia Dome hosted the World Championship of the FIRST Robotics Competition. Over 300 teams from around the world qualify annually to compete in the championship held in mid-April. The FIRST LEGO League World Festival and FIRST Tech Challenge Championship were held at the same time, in different areas of the Dome. The Championship has moved to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri for the 2011 competition season.

The Georgia Dome hosts the Drum Corps International Southeastern Championship each summer, and in the fall, the Music for All Bands of America Southeastern Super Regional. It also hosts the Honda Battle of the Bands in January.

On October 24, 2015, the Georgia Dome hosted American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her Atlanta stop on The 1989 World Tour where she played to 56,000 audience members at a sold out Dome.[35]

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

In January 2012 – 2013, the Georgia Dome hosted the massive gathering of college aged students called Passion Conference. Over 60,000 students attended the conference in 2013. It featured head lined speakers Louie Gigilo and John Piper as well as big name artists including Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Kristian Stanfill. In 2017, Passion plans on hosting a massive conference as the last event at the Georgia Dome before it's demolition.

Facilities

In 2008, the Georgia Dome started showing safety videos before games, presented by Deltalina, flight attendant "mascot" of Delta Air Lines. The videos satirise Delta's massively popular "Deltalina" inflight safety videos. The videos' theme was "Delta Safety First".[36][37]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2008 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 1634 to 1699: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 1700-1799: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 1800–present: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cable Top Football Columbia University
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=2&url_article_id=11911&change_well_id=2[dead link]
  8. ↑ Chick-fil-A Bowl Event Guide: Georgia Dome Information
  9. ↑ AlantaFalcons.com: Striking changes usher in new era for Dome
  10. ↑ AlantaFalcons.com: Dome, Falcons announce new renovations
  11. ↑ AlantaFalcons.com: Dome Renovations Photo Album
  12. ↑ Georgia Dome Is Damaged (1995)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Storm hits Georgia Dome, interrupts SEC play
  14. ↑ Tornado Kills, 2 Pummels Downtown by Tim Eberly and Paul Shea for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  15. ↑ Georgia High School Association Constitution and By-Laws 2008–2009, pg. 70
  16. ↑ Sugar Bowl
  17. ↑ The Palm Beach Post, Gators view Georgia Dome as someplace like home
  18. ↑ 1996 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. p. 540.
  19. ↑ 1996 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 3. pp. 451, 456.
  20. ↑ Georgia Dome converting to grass….for soccer
  21. ↑ Mexico will play a soccer match at Georgia Dome Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ FOXXoccerTrax, http://inagist.com/all/358737387804823553/
  24. ↑ USA Today, Mexico, Nigeria soccer teams play to 0-0 tie in Atlanta, March 6, 2014, http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/world/2014/03/06/mexico-nigeria-soccer-friendly-atlanta-world-cup/6107317/
  25. ↑ Daniel Marquez heads winner for Club America Soccer Net
  26. ↑ Score Atlanta, AISC: Georgia Dome continues to impress as soccer venue, July 29, 2010, http://www.scoreatl.com/stories/aisc-georgia-dome-continue-to-impress-as-soccer-venue/
  27. ↑ http://www.gadome.com/events/2010_aisc_soccer.html Archived July 2, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ 2015 AMA Supercross media guide
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ http://music.blog.ajc.com/2015/10/25/concert-review-taylor-swift-showcases-pop-power-at-georgia-dome/
  36. ↑ "DELTALINA WAGS HER FINGER AT THE DOME", "Peach Buzz", Access Atlanta (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), September 24, 2008
  37. ↑ "Delta, Official Airline of the Atlanta Falcons", Delta Air Lines, September 26, 2008

External links

Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Atlanta Falcons
1992 – 2016 (projected)		 Succeeded by
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Preceded by Home of the
Atlanta Hawks
1997–1999		 Succeeded by
Philips Arena
Preceded by Home of the
SEC Championship Game
1994 – 2016 (projected)		 Succeeded by
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Preceded by Home of the
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
1992 – 2016 (projected)		 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


Louisiana Superdome
Alamodome
AT&T Stadium
Preceded by Host of the Super Bowl
XXVIII 1994
XXXIV 2000		 Succeeded by
Joe Robbie Stadium
Raymond James Stadium
Preceded by Host of WrestleMania XXVII
2011		 Succeeded by
Sun Life Stadium
Preceded by Host of NFC Championship Game
2013		 Succeeded by
CenturyLink Field
Preceded by Host of FIRST Robotics World Championship
2004-2010		 Succeeded by
Edward Jones Dome

Script error: The function "top" does not exist.

Script error: The function "bottom" does not exist.

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Georgia_Dome&oldid=1478068"