One of Seattle’s most loved and hated buildings all at the same time was the King County Multi Purpose Domed Stadium, better known as the King Dome. Funded in 1968 with a $40 million public bond, the dome was completed in in 1972. Home of the Seattle Seahawks, Sonics, and most famously, Mariners, the stadium was truly one of the iconic buildings of Seattle (though perhaps more for its ugly concrete exterior and even uglier astro-turf field)

The stadium was opened by the Mariners on May 17, 1976 drew 54,000 fans. Several iconic sports moments took place in the Dome including “The Double” in the 1995 ALCS win over the hated New York Yankees. I may or may not have cried while watching this:

There were good memories and there were bad. Through much of the King Domes service, the Seattle teams that called it home were the basement dwellers of their respective leagues. This coupled with speakers positioned so low that baseballs famously got stuck in them and falling roof panels made the King Dome one of the sadder sports stadiums in the US.

By the late ’90s the owners and fans of the three major sports franchises in Seattle were sick of the outdated stadium. In 2000, after nearly 25 years of service, the King Dome was torn down in spectacular fashion. Here is some footage:

Though many hated the King Dome during its reign (sorry, I had to), it is often looked back at fondly by Seattlites as the stadium that saved sports in Seattle.

Here are some great resources from the UW Libraries:

https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/structures/5365/

http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/3991021.html

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=2164