The Georgia Dome‘s run in Atlanta came to an end on Monday morning, when it was imploded to make way for future development.
Over the last several months, crews had been working to prepare the Georgia Dome–former home of the Atlanta Falcons–for its demolition. The demolition took place on Monday morning, and no damage was reported to the surrounding amenities, including the adjacent Mercedes-Benz Stadium. However, two sections of the Dome’s exterior walls remained standing after the demolition and will have to be mechanically demolished. More from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
When the dust cleared, two sections of the Georgia Dome’s outside walls were still standing.
Rick Cuppetilli, executive vice president of lead demolition contractor Adamo Group, said those sections will be mechanically demolished.
“We have to investigate whether the charges (in those sections) went off,” he said. “If the charges went off, it’s not going to take much at all (to knock the walls down).”
With the Georgia Dome coming down, planning for the future use of the site will continue. Much of the area will be occupied by The Home Depot Backyard, an area that will provide room for tailgating for Falcons games and Atlanta United FC matches, while serving as an event space and park on a year-round basis. In addition, a plan is in place to construct a hotel on a portion of the site, and officials are expected to discuss next week on a proposal to expand the hotel from 800 rooms to over 1,000 rooms and suites.
The Georgia Dome originally opened in 1992, and created plenty of sports memories along the way by hosting more than just regular-season games for the Falcons. The facility was also the site of Super Bowls, Final Fours, the 1996 Olympics, SEC Championship Games, and more (it even served a brief stint as home to the NBA’s Hawks). The Falcons played their final game at the Georgia Dome in January, and the facility hosted Monster Jam as its final event in March.
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Image courtesy Georgia Dome.