The last of the Metrodome
Today is bittersweet. The Vikings of Minnesota are playing the Lions of Detriot in the last game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Update: The Vikings won the game 14-13 over the Lions). It’s actually ‘Mall of America Field’. But to Minnesotans, it’s always been called The Dome.
It’s bittersweet because many are happy to see it go away. We need an updated facility. Many want a better view, better amenities, outdoor light and a whole host of other reasons. Many just think it’s old and Minnesota needs an upgrade.
But on the other side of the sideline, many will be sad to watch the memories played out on the Dome’s field go away with the building that housed them when they were made.
A look back
I remember going to the Dome as a kid and walking through the halls near the concession stands and once I had the chance to peek through the opening down to the field I was blown away. It was so big, so magical and so, well, green.
The gallery above pays homage to the many good memories at the Dome from yesteryear to about an hour ago as the Vikes beat the Lions one last time under the big, white, poofy Dome that has collapsed due to snow, risen and will be razed to make way for the next few generations of Vikings football.
And every Vikes fan hopes with a new stadium, comes a team that can one day win a Super Bowl. Because this dome has been to a Super Bowl, our Vikings…have not.
Oh, to dream.
The Metrodome: Some Background
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington, and Memorial Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. Since 1982, the Metrodome has been the home to the National Football League’s (NFL) Minnesota Vikings. The stadium was also the home of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Minnesota Twins from 1982 to 2009, the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Minnesota Timberwolves in their 1989-1990 inaugural season, and the Golden Gophers football and baseball teams. It was also the home for the Minnesota Strikers of the North American Soccer League in 1984.
The stadium has a fiberglass fabric roof that is self-supported by air pressure, and is the second major sports facility to have this feature (the first being the Pontiac Silverdome). The Metrodome is similar in design to the former RCA Dome and to BC Place before that stadium was reconfigured with a retractable roof. The Metrodome was reputedly the inspiration for the Tokyo Dome.
The stadium is the only facility to have hosted a Super Bowl (1992), World Series (1987, 1991), MLB All-Star Game (1985), and NCAA Division I Basketball Final Four (1992, 2001).
The Metrodome is the ninth-oldest stadium in the NFL and will be replaced in the same location by a new Vikings Stadium by 2016; the Vikings will play at TCF Bank Stadium during construction. Locally, the Metrodome has several nicknames such as “The Dome”,”The Thunderdome”, and “The Homer Dome”.Preparation for the demolition of the Metrodome is slated to begin the day after the facility hosts its final event, the final home game for the Minnesota Vikings, on December 29, 2013 with actual demolition beginning in January 2014.
The Metrodome will be torn down in sections while the new facility, whose working name is Vikings Stadium, is built as the sections are removed.
Have some great shots of the Dome or your visits there? Send them to me and I’ll add them to the slideshow. Leave a comment below about your best memories to the Dome.
Image: Wikimedia
