Twenty-five years ago, the Seattle skyline forever changed, as the Kingdome was reduced to rubble in 20 seconds. On March 26, 2000, demolition crews skillfully brought down the contentious concrete giant, as detailed by KING 5, marking an end to a storied history of sports, concerts, and events.
The former hub for entertainment and sports, hosting legends like Paul McCartney and Madonna, the Kingdome's reputation began to wobble in its later years. Complaints about its brutish aesthetics and acoustics had been mounting, sometimes leading to barely veiled disdain, with nicknames such as "the Tomb" and "Puget Puke" colorfully capturing public sentiment. FOX 13 Seattle reminisced about the days when the structure gave the Seahawks one of the loudest fanbases in the NFL, even as attendance started to slide in the late 1980s.
This watershed event also spurred the creation of the Public Stadium Authority and cleared the path for what is now Lumen Field. As KOMO News reported, the final Mariners game in the Kingdome saw Ken Griffey, Jr. hit a home run, festooning an end to a chapter just like the very neighborhood of SoDo, which took its name from being "south of the dome."
