The Silverdome in 2011
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Former names | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium (1975-76) Pontiac Silverdome |
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Location | 1200 Featherstone Road Pontiac, Michigan 48342 United States |
Coordinates | 42°38′45″N 83°15′18″W / 42.64583°N 83.25500°WCoordinates: 42°38′45″N 83°15′18″W / 42.64583°N 83.25500°W |
Owner |
Andreas Apostolopoulos Triple Investment Group |
Operator | Triple Sports & Entertainment |
Capacity | 82,000 80,311 (Football & soccer) |
Record attendance | 93,682 for Pope John Paul II |
Surface |
AstroTurf (1975–2005) FieldTurf (2005–2006) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | September 19, 1973 |
Opened | August 23, 1975, Re-opened April 17, 2010 |
Closed | February 2006: Re-closed 2013 |
Demolished | TBA |
Construction cost | US$55.7 million ($248 million in 2017 dollars) |
Architect | O'Dell/Hewlett & Luckenbach |
Structural engineer | Geiger Berger Associates |
General contractor | Barton Malow |
Tenants | |
Detroit Lions (NFL) (1975–2001) Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1978–1988) Detroit Express (NASL) (1978–1980) Michigan Panthers (USFL) (1983–1984) Cherry Bowl (NCAA) (1984–1985) Motor City Bowl (NCAA) (1997–2001) Detroit Mechanix (AUDL) (2012) |
The Pontiac Silverdome, formerly known as the Silverdome, is a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It opened in 1975 and sits on 127 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, the first use of the technique in a major athletic facility. The roof has since been removed. With a seating capacity of 82,000, it was the largest stadium in the National Football League (NFL) until FedEx Field (91,000 capacity) in suburban Washington, D.C., opened in 1997.
It was primarily the home of the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1975 to 2001 and was also home to the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1978 to 1988. In addition, the Silverdome also served as the home venue for the Detroit Express of the North American Soccer League and the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League, as well as two college bowl games: the Cherry Bowl and the Motor City Bowl. In 2012 the Silverdome served as the home venue of the Detroit Mechanix of the American Ultimate Disc League and hosted the league championship game that season.
The stadium was a regular concert venue and hosted a number of athletic and non-athletic events, including WrestleMania III with an attendance of over 93,000, early round games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl XVI, regional games in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, and the 1979 NBA All-Star Game.