Georgia Dome's Last Remains Crumble Down

ATLANTA, GA — It took two blasts to do it, but the Georgia Dome is, at last, no more.

An implosion at about 1 a.m. Wednesday toppled a piece of a wall and part of what used to be Gate B. Those pieces had remained standing after a Nov. 20 attempt to take down the 25-year-old sports and entertainment venue.

Officials with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which operated the Georgia Dome, said some explosives failed to detonate on that first attempt.

Wednesday's early morning blast was a more low-key affair than the 7 a.m. implosion last month, which drew thousands of onlookers. A 450-foot safety zone was established around the remains of the dome and there were no official media or public viewing areas, as there were for the first blast.

Nearby Mercedes-Benz Stadium was in fine shape after Wednesday morning's implosion. And, as far as we know, no one had to curse at an ill-timed MARTA bus.

The Georgia Dome was demolished after 25 years of hosting big-ticket events. It served as the home venue for the Atlanta Falcons and, later, Georgia State University football, and hosted two Super Bowls, the gymnastics and basketball events for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and both a men's and women's NCAA Final Four.

The stadium also has hosted a variety of concerts, including performers like rock band U2 and many others.

In all, the 29-story dome, which seated around 65,000 spectators, hosted more than 1,400 events, drawing 37 million guests and generating more than $7 billion in economic impact, the GWCCA says.

The dome hosted its last event in March. Since then, the Falcons and Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC have moved next door to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Photo of Georgia Dome's Nov. 20 implosion courtesy Georgia World Congress Center Authority