History
The dome was financed with bonds and a hotel-motel tax and run by the state's Georgia World Congress Center Authority. When it was completed in 1992 it had the world's largest rigid cable-supported oval roof, and the Falcons made it their home.
Over 25 years it became one of the country's busiest big-event buildings. It hosted Super Bowls in 1994 and 2000, basketball and gymnastics at the 1996 Olympics, men's Final Fours in 2002, 2007 and 2013, and more than two decades of SEC Championship Games. The Hawks also played there for two seasons while their arena was being built.
The Falcons won the NFC title in their last game there in January 2017 and then moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which was built only yards away. The dome was imploded in November 2017, and its footprint became a green space.
Why it matters: It was one of the most-used event stadiums in the US and the centerpiece of Atlanta's 1996 Olympics.
Timeline
- November 22, 1989
Work began on the cable-supported dome.
- 1992
The Falcons moved in. AJC dates the first event, a Falcons exhibition, to Aug 23, 1992, while Wikipedia gives Sept 6, 1992 as the opening.
- January 1994
The first of two Super Bowls held there (the other was XXXIV in 2000).
- 1996
During the Atlanta Olympics, the dome hosted basketball, artistic gymnastics and team handball.
- January 22, 2017
The Falcons won the NFC Championship over Green Bay in their last game there.
- March 5, 2017
A Monster Jam show was the dome's last public event.
- November 20, 2017
The dome was imploded with about 4,800 pounds of explosives. A second blast on Dec 20, 2017 brought down the remaining sections.
- September 11, 2018Home Depot Backyard opens[1]
The cleared site reopened as a green space and tailgating park.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2,3,5] |
|---|---|
| Current use | The Home Depot Backyard green space (opened 2018), next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium[1] |
| Mapped location | Former venue parcel |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Atlanta Falcons | NFL · 1992–2016 |
|---|---|
| Georgia State Panthers | NCAA · 2010–2016 |
| Atlanta Hawks | NBA · 1997–1999 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Location | 1 Georgia Dome Drive NW, Atlanta, Georgia[1] |
|---|---|
| Venue type | Domed stadium |
| Sports | Football, Basketball, Olympic venues |
| Level | NFL, NCAA, NBA, Olympic |
| Opened | 1992[1,2,3,4,5] |
| Last used for sports | March 5, 2017[1,3,4] |
| Demolished | November 20, 2017[1,2,3,5] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Final capacity | 71,228[1,2,5] |
| Capacity notes | About 71,228 for football (Wikipedia). The New Georgia Encyclopedia and Fox News say about 71,250. |
| Architect | Heery International; Rosser FABRAP International; tvsdesign[1] |
| Construction cost | $214 million (Wikipedia, AJC); about $210 million (New Georgia Encyclopedia) |
| Surface | AstroTurf (1992–2002), FieldTurf (2003–2017) |
| Owner / operator | Georgia World Congress Center Authority |
| Closure | Replaced by the adjacent Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in August 2017. |
Documented details
- AJC reported 1,456 events with about 37.6 million visitors over the dome's roughly 25 years.[3]
- On March 27, 1998, the dome drew an NBA-record 62,046 fans for a Bulls–Hawks game during Michael Jordan's final season with Chicago.[2]
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium stood only about 83 feet away, so a five-story curtain was hung to shield it during the implosion.[5]
Connected venues
Sources
- Georgia Dome, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, teams
- Georgia Dome, New Georgia Encyclopedia (Georgia Humanities). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, demolished, opened, teams
- Inside the Georgia Dome, a shell of its former self, Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, demolished, opened
- Georgia Dome final game, CNN. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, opened
- Georgia Dome imploded with nearly 5,000 pounds of explosives, Fox News (AP). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, demolished, opened
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (3)
- Sources disagree on the opening date: Aug 23, 1992 (AJC, first Falcons exhibition) vs Sept 6, 1992 (Wikipedia infobox). Recorded at year precision.
- Wikipedia's infobox gives 'closed June 9, 2017', but Wikipedia, CNN and AJC all put the final public event on March 5, 2017. The final event date is used.
- Wikipedia records a second implosion on Dec 20, 2017 for sections that survived the first one. Only the main implosion date is used.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.