5) Kingdome (1976-1999)
Seattle, WA
Home to: Mariners
A: If the Astrodome was the beginning of a new era in baseball architecture, it was the implosion of the Kingdome on national television that emphatically brought that era to a close.
The domed stadiums that were on the cutting edge of the space age in the 1960s and ‘70s quickly became outdated as the 1990s ushered in a new paradigm. The stadiums of the retro-modern era hearkened back to the individualistic character and charm of the old Jewel Box parks that had been overwritten by the multi-purpose behemoths of the Kingdome’s ilk, and retractable roofs allowing for natural grass and open-air games made fixed-roof structures obsolete.
The Kingdome’s implosion became a national spectacle. Demolition work that would normally take weeks or months on much smaller stadiums happened in mere moments. Viewers across the country watched captivated as the dome stood motionless, and then in an instant, a cloud of smoke, and it was gone.
J: The implosion of the Kingdome remains a strikingly vivid memory for me. The grunge sounds of this movement set not only Seattle’s music scene but also the fun-loving nature of the Griffey-led Mariners teams of the 1990s. Much like the Kingdome, the music hums along unabated until it suddenly doesn’t.