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.jpg) The arena viewed from the Pacific Avenue overpass, 2024 | |
| Address | 2727 East D Street Tacoma, Washington 98421[1] |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°14′12″N122°25′36″W / 47.23667°N 122.42667°W /47.23667; -122.42667 |
| Public transit |  Amtrak Sounder commuter rail Link light railatTacoma Dome Station |
| Owner | City of Tacoma |
| Operator | Venues & Events Department |
| Capacity | 21,000 Detailed capacity
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| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 1, 1981 (1981-07-01) |
| Opened | April 21, 1983 (1983-04-21) |
| Renovated | 2018 |
| Construction cost | $44 million ($152 million in 2024 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | McGranahan Messenger Associates[3] |
| General contractor | Merit Co.[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Tacoma Stars(MISL) (1983–92) Tacoma Rockets(WHL) (1991–95) Seattle SuperSonics(NBA) (1994–95) Tacoma Sabercats(WCHL) (1997–2002) NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship(1989–90) Seattle Sounders(USL First Division) (1994) WIAA statefootball tournament(1995–2019) WIAA boys' state basketball tournament(2001–present, partial schedule) | |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheTacoma Dome is an indoor multi-purposearena inTacoma, Washington, United States. It is located south ofDowntown Tacoma, adjacent toInterstate 5 andTacoma Dome Station. It is currently used forbasketball tournaments by theWashington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), concerts, and other community events. In its early years, it was primarily used as a venue for minor leagueice hockey andindoor soccer, and later temporarily hosted professional teams fromSeattle.[4]
Proposals to build a domed stadium in Tacoma were submitted to voters in variousballot measures in 1967, 1972, and 1976, but were all rejected. Following the completion of theKingdome in Seattle, campaigners in Tacoma pushed for "a dome of our own"; a 1980 vote on a $28 millionbond measure was approved and funded the construction of the Tacoma Dome. Construction began on July 1, 1981, at a site nearInterstate 5; sites nearCheney Stadium and in downtown were also considered.[5][6] The city planned to lure aNational Hockey League team to the new stadium, but were unable to find a professional sports team to occupy the dome. It was designed by local architects McGranahan and Messenger, who won an international design competition, and cost $44 million to construct.[7] It opened on April 21, 1983, with 25,000 people attending the opening ceremonies.[8]
At 530 feet (160 m) in diameter and 152 feet (46 m) in height, the arena seats 20,722 forbasketball games, with a maximum capacity of 21,000. It was the largest arena with a wooden dome in the world by volume at the time of its opening;[9] theSuperior Dome inMarquette, Michigan, opened in 1991 with a larger-diametergeodesic dome at 536 feet (163 m),[5] but is 143 feet (44 m) high and seats a maximum of 16,000.[10] The dome's roof weighs 1.44 million pounds (650 t); some of the planks that form the roof were sourced from felled timber following the1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.[5][6] Unlike most other arenas of its size, the arena contains little in the way of fixed seating, so as to maximize the flexibility of the seating arrangements and the shape of the playing field. It can also hostAmerican football, albeit with seating reduced to 10,000.
The dome's first event was a concert by American singer/actorRick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band as part of the Dome's opening festivities on April 24, 1983.[11] The stadium's turf was replaced in 1992 and 2006.[12] The stadium has not had a professional team as a tenant since 2002, attributed in part to the lack of amenities and luxury boxes, while anewer arena inKent hosts theSeattle Thunderbirds of the WHL and the reincarnation of theTacoma Stars.[13] Several new performing venues in the area, includingKeyArena and theWhite River Amphitheatre, also lured away touring artists who would have used the Dome.[14]
A report to the city in 2000 identified the need for private suites, larger concourses, and modern locker and dressing rooms as key issues for the Dome.[15] A $42 million renovation plan, which included a new "grand entrance", larger concessions, aloading dock, and luxury suites, was proposed by a city-contracted consultant in 2004.[16] A bond issue to fund the renovation, which would require 60 percent of voters in favor, was approved in September 2005 but failed to meet the minimumturnout to validate the election.[17] A second attempt in the February 2006 special election failed after receiving only 55 percent approval.[18][19]
During aMonster Jam event at the Tacoma Dome in January 2009, a piece of debris from a truck flew into the stands during a freestyle performance, killing a six-year-old spectator and injuring another spectator.[20] This is so far the only fatality to occur at a Monster Jam event.
On February 2, 2016, the Tacoma Dome started new security procedures in light of its sold-outAC/DC concert. The new enhancements included metal detector wands at each entrance, a bag size restriction, the prohibition of backpacks, and the search of all bags before entry.[21] In November 2016, the City of Tacoma approved a two-year, $21.3 million renovation project.[22] The renovations took place over the summer of 2018, with the cost rising to $30 million,[23] and were completed on October 8, 2018.[24] The renovations cost $32 million; among the new features were wider seats throughout the arena, showgoers having 6 inches of extra legroom and replacing the bench seating in the upper level.[25]
The first professional team to move into the Tacoma Dome were theTacoma Stars of theMajor Indoor Soccer League (MISL); the stadium was the largest in the league, with seating for 20,284 in itsindoor soccer configuration.[26] The seventh and final game of the 1987 MISL Championship Series was played in front of 21,728 spectators at the Tacoma Dome, setting a league attendance record.[27] The Dome also hosted the 1988MISL All-Star Game on February 17, 1988, which drew 17,241 in attendance.[28]
The first professional soccer game to be played at the Tacoma Dome was aEuroPac Cup match between theSeattle Sounders andInternacional from Brazil. The Sounders lost 2–1 in front of 6,340; the stadium's capacity was set at 19,000 for soccer.[29] The team also bid for a lease to play their indoor season at the Dome, but lost to the Tacoma Stars.[30][31]
The final match of the1986 College Cup, the NCAA championship tournament for men's soccer, was hosted at the Tacoma Dome on December 13, 1986. TheDuke Blue Devils won 1–0 against theAkron Zips and clinched their first national title in front of 4,652 spectators.[32] The turf surface at the Dome was uneven and patched withelectrical tape; it was later criticized as "no place to play a championship game" by Akron coachSteve Parker and "dangerous" by Duke midfielderJoey Valenti.[33]
The second-divisionSeattle Sounders played severalsoccer matches at the Dome during their inaugural season in theAmerican Professional Soccer League in 1994 before moving toMemorial Stadium in Seattle.[34]
The championship game of theNCAA Division I women's basketball tournament (known as the Women's Final Four) was hosted at the Tacoma Dome in 1988 and 1989. The latter was the first to be played in the same metropolitan area as themen's Final Four, which was hosted by the Kingdome in Seattle.[35][36]
TheSeattle SuperSonics played their first exhibition game at the Tacoma Dome on October 9, 1983, and lost 117–98 to thePortland Trail Blazers.[37] The stadium was configured with a maximum capacity of 22,000 for NBA games.[38] The team played four regular season games in Tacoma during the1983–84 season and averaged 11,852 in attendance, greater than in the Kingdome.[39] The Sonics played four regular season games at the Dome during the1984–85 season, but announced in April 1985 that they would not return for the following season to focus on their move to theSeattle Center Coliseum.[38]
The Sonics relocated to Tacoma for 41 home games during the1994–95 season while theSeattle Center Coliseum underwent extensive renovations to become KeyArena (nowClimate Pledge Arena).[5] The Dome was later used for Sonics games during other seasons and was offered by the city as a replacement for KeyArena during the team'srelocation negotiations in 2006.[40] TheSeattle Storm of theWNBA played an exhibition game at the Tacoma Dome in 2002 and a playoff game in 2013 that had been moved from KeyArena due to a scheduling conflict.[41]
The Dome was also the venue ofice hockey,gymnastics, andfigure skating events during the1990 Goodwill Games.[42][43]
It was the site of theNCAA Division I-AA football championship game in1985 and1986.[citation needed] The venue also hostedSeattle Seahawks scrimmages and an annual rivalry game between thePacific Lutheran University and theUniversity of Puget Sound, both based in the Tacoma area.[44] A trophy for the rivalry game, unveiled in 2021, depicts the Tacoma Dome and the city skyline.[45]
The short-livedTacoma Express, a semi-professional American football team playing in theMinor League Football System, played an exhibition game against the Moscow Bears of theSoviet Union American Football League on July 2, 1990. The Express won 61–0 against the Bears, whose roster included rugby players and track-and-field athletes, in front of 1,303 spectators; it was the first time that a Soviet Union football team had played in the United States.[46][47] The team had planned to play their regular season games at the Tacoma Dome, but were unable to afford the venue and moved to theStadium Bowl.[48][49]
Several professional and junior ice hockey teams have also played at the Tacoma Dome. TheTacoma Rockets of theWHL played at the Dome from 1991 to 1995, but relocated toKelowna, British Columbia, after finding the stadium unsuitable.[13] TheTacoma Sabercats of theWCHL debuted on November 1, 1997, at the Dome, which underwent minor renovations to better accommodate ice hockey. The main grandstand's first three rows were raised to improve sightlines, thePlexiglass barrier around the rink was replaced with seamless glass panels, and seating capacity was reduced to 9,500.[50] The Sabercats had strong attendance, but ceased operations in 2002.[13][51]
The Tacoma Dome also hostedNational Hockey League preseason exhibition games in 1983, 1984, 1988, 1992,[52] and 1996.[53] Plans to attract an NHL team to the venue were made in the 1980s and 1990s, but were unsuccessful.[54]
ThePremier Lacrosse League played four games at the Tacoma Dome over a two-day weekend in August 2022 as part of their fourth traveling season.[55] TheNational Lacrosse League had previously considered an expansion team at the Tacoma Dome in 2006, but also solicited other bids from arenas in the Puget Sound region.[56]
The Tacoma Dome has hosted the Washington state championships forhigh school basketball, organized by theWashington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), since 1985; it was the first site nationwide to hold both boys' and girls' tournaments simultaneously. The WIAA also held the state championship games forhigh school football at the Tacoma Dome starting in 1995, having held the games at theKingdome in Seattle beforehand; it elected to move the games out of the Tacoma Dome in 2019, citing rising costs and diminished sight lines inflicted by the 2018 renovations.[57]
The city government allocated $280,000 from the construction budget of the Tacoma Dome to furnish the arena withpublic art under itspercent for art program.[58] Among the five finalists wasAndy Warhol's adaption of hisFlowers series, which would have painted a single orange flower on the roof.[59] The city's art commission endorsed a proposal by sculptorStephen Antonakos to install abstract,neon-lit shapes on the dome's roof. It was rejected by the city council in April 1982 due to concerns about the neon tubes's effects on the wooden roof and public outcry over the design.[60]
A modified version ofNeons for the Tacoma Dome, consisting of four indoor panels that measure up to 72 feet (22 m) with abstract shapes in neon, was announced in early 1984.[61] The city council approved the purchase ofNeons, but a public opposition group named "No Neon" petitioned the Pierce County Superior Court for aninjunction to halt further spending on the commission.[62] The injunction was denied and the group instead gathered signatures to decide the issue in a citywide election.[63]Neons was installed over the Tacoma Dome's southeast and northeast exits and unveiled to the public on July 31, 1984.[64]
During the primary election on September 18, 74 percent of voters rejected an advisory question that would have endorsed the use of Antonakos's artwork in the Tacoma Dome.[65] The city council voted in December to approve the installation ofNeons, but allow tenants to decide whether to light the sculpture.[66] The percent for arts ordinance was repealed by voters in the November 1985 election.[67][68]
The Tacoma city government considered selling thenaming rights for the Dome on several occasions to pay for renovations or other amenities that would attract a major league team.[54] In 2002, the city hired a consultant to explore naming rights deals for various public facilities, including the Tacoma Dome, that would fund repairs and renovations.[69][70] A ten-year naming rights deal withComcast or a localToyota dealership was proposed the following year by the consultants after discussions with various companies.[71] Comcast emerged as the frontrunner and offered $3.5 million for the ten-year term in addition to free advertising on cable television that would be of equivalent value.[72] The company pulled out of the deal for the proposed "Comcast Dome" in December 2003, ahead of a city council vote and amid public backlash over the removal of "Tacoma" from its name.[73]
An offer to sell naming rights to city-ownedTacoma Power for $1.25 million annually was rejected in 2009 after a search for a city-inclusive name.[74] The city began soliciting new bids for a marketer in 2013 to search for naming rights sponsor, but the two submitted proposals were rejected for being too costly.[75]
Renovations will begin in summer of 2017. New seating will be installed during summer of 2018, with all renovations completed by fall of 2018.
| Preceded by | Host of theNCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game 1985–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of theCollege Cup 1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the Seattle SuperSonics 1994–1995 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
