The Kingdome: Loud. Insane. Fun.

“I remember what an interesting paradox the Kingdome was for baseball. It was a horrible place to watch baseball … until the M’s got good. Then, in 1995, it became a character in their story, and it became a great place to watch baseball. It was like going to see The Who every night. Loud. Insane. fun.” – Mike Gastineau

The Kingdome, which would have been 46 years old today, was imploded exactly 22 years ago today, March 26th. The multipurpose stadium hosted the Seahawks, the Mariners, and even the Sonics when the team wasn’t playing at the Coliseum (now Climate Pledge Arena).

In a 364-page history of American baseball stadiums published last year titled “Ballpark: Baseball in the American City,” author Paul Goldberger makes two references to the Kingdome. In one, he refers to the stadium as “widely hated.” In another, he calls it “a structure so banal that it made the (Houston) Astrodome seem vibrant and fresh.”

By the time the Kingdome, or technically the King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium, was imploded 20 years ago today — a sunny Sunday morning on March 26, 2000 — there weren’t many who would have put up much of a fight in its defense… read more >

Kingdome 1976 Vintage Men’s T-Shirt