How old is the minneapolis metrodome

Before , the Dome had been nicknamed "the Sweat Box. Major League Baseball schedulers had the luxury of being able to count on dates played at Metrodome.

Doubleheader games only occurred when purposely scheduled. The last time that happened was when the Twins scheduled a day-night doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals on August 31, The doubleheader was necessitated after an August 2 game vs. The Metrodome's air-supported roof was designed by the inventor of air-supported structures, David H.

The air pressure is supplied by twenty horsepower fans. By design, the dead air space between the layers insulates the roof; in winter, warm air is blown into the space between layers to help melt snow that has accumulated on top. At the time it was built, the 10 acres 4. It reaches feet 59 m , or about 16 stories, at its highest point. To prevent roof tears like those that occurred in its first years of service, the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission adopted a twofold strategy: When snow accumulation was expected, hot air was pumped into the space between the roof's two layers.

Workers also climbed on the roof and used steam and high-powered hot-water hoses to melt snow. To maintain the differential air pressure, spectators usually enter and leave the seating and concourse areas through revolving doors, since the use of regular doors without an airlock would cause significant loss of air pressure. The double-walled construction allows warmed air to circulate beneath the top of the dome, melting accumulated snow.

A sophisticated environmental control center in the lower part of the stadium is manned to monitor weather and make adjustments in air distribution to maintain the roof. Because it is unusually low to the playing field, the air-inflated dome occasionally figured into game action. Major League Baseball had specific ground rules for the Metrodome. Any ball which struck the Dome roof, or objects hanging from it, remained in play; if it landed in foul territory it became a foul ball, if it landed in fair territory it became a fair ball.

Any ball which became caught in the roof over fair ground was a ground rule double. The speakers, being closer to the playing surface, were hit more frequently, especially the speakers in foul ground near the infield, which were typically hit several times a season, which posed an extra challenge to infielders trying to catch them.

However, beginning with the season, the ground rules for Twins games were changed such that any batted ball that struck a speaker in foul territory would automatically be called a foul ball, regardless of whether or not it was caught.

The roof is high enough that it has never been a concern for events other than baseball. Five times in the stadium's history, heavy snows or other weather conditions have significantly damaged the roof and in four instances caused it to deflate. On November 19, , a rapid accumulation of over a foot of snow caused the roof to collapse, requiring it to be re-inflated. It deflated the following winter on December 30, , again because of a tear caused by heavy snow.

This was four days before the Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the last regular season game of the NFL season. In the spring following that same winter, on April 14, , the Metrodome roof deflated because of a tear caused by a late-season heavy snow, and the scheduled Twins' game with the California Angels was postponed.

On April 26, , the Metrodome roof suffered a slight tear because of high winds, causing a nine-minute delay in the bottom of the seventh inning versus the Angels; however the roof did not deflate.

Birdair had conducted a regular inspection of the Metrodome roof in April Its report to the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission stated that "the outer membrane is in good condition and still holding up well," and rated the inner liner's condition as "fair to poor".

In addition, Birdair noted some minor areas on the outer membrane that needed repairing, which were done by the time of the Commission's July regular meeting. The deflated roof, a day after heavy snow and high winds from the December 11, blizzard caused the roof to tear and deflate. A severe winter storm arrived on December 10—11, with high snow accumulation more than seventeen inches and strong winds; those winds made the roof unsafe for the snow removal crew.

As the workers were pulled back, the roof was already sagging in the center. On December 12 at about a. The night before, a Fox Sports crew setting up for an upcoming Vikings game noticed water leaking from the roof and kept their cameras on all night; those cameras captured the roof tearing and ice and snow falling into the stadium.

Most of the roof sagged and came to rest on cable stays. The collapse caused no damage inside the arena aside from a light fixture and some seats. The turf was not damaged; a drainage system designed for cleaning purposes allowed the field to dry out.

The Vikings and the New York Giants had been scheduled to play a football game on the afternoon of the 12th. The game had already been postponed to Monday night, the 13th, due to concerns of stadium officials. The league considered moving that game to the University of Minnesota's nearby TCF Bank Stadium , but it had been shut down and winterized for the season and would have needed several days to prepare for a football game.

The Gophers' first baseball game of their season at the Dome was scheduled for February 5. On February 18, , the Gophers announced that all 12 scheduled Big Ten home games in April and May would be played at Target Field , with three non-conference games moved to on-campus Siebert Field. On July 13, , it was announced that the roof was repaired and had been inflated that morning. However other construction and repairs were still in progress.

The remaining construction and repairs were done by August 1, Metrodome field, in its baseball configuration. The football markings are slightly visible under the turf. During its early years of operation, the field at the Metrodome was surfaced with SuperTurf.

This surface was upgraded to Astroturf in , and in , the sports commission had a newer artificial surface, called FieldTurf , installed. FieldTurf is thought to be a closer approximation to natural grass than Astroturf in its softness, appearance, and feel. A new Sportexe Momentum Turf surface was installed during the summer of Any future baseball games will see baserunners slide on "grass.

The original homeplate installed at the dome was memorably dug up after the Twins' final game and has been installed at Target Field. A new field was installed in summer of due to the damage from the December roof collapse.

From to , the left-field wall included a six-foot clear Plexiglas screen for a total height of 13 feet 4. It was off this Plexiglas wall that Twins player Kirby Puckett jumped to rob Ron Gant of the Atlanta Braves of an extra-base hit during Game 6 of the World Series a game that Puckett would win with an 11th-inning walkoff homer - in later years, with the Plexiglas removed, it would have been a potential home run ball.

The Metrodome's right-field wall was composed of the seven-foot-high 2. Fenway Park 's " Green Monster ", a comparable but taller feature, is 17 feet 5. However, it was an attractive target for left-handed power hitters, and it was not uncommon for upper-deck home runs to be hit to right field. When in a rectangular configuration for football and other small-field events, the Baggie was taken down and the seats behind it extended to form complete lower-deck seating.

Note the retractable seats in the lower-right portion of this photo. As the stadium was designed first and foremost for the Minnesota Vikings, they have the fewest problems. As a location and playing field with new turf, it is still a suitable venue for football. The Vikings owners want more luxury suites and better concessions. The Vikings played their first game at the Metrodome in a preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on August 21, Minnesota won The first touchdown in the dome was scored by Joe Senser on an yard pass from Tommy Kramer.

The first regular-season game at the Metrodome was the opener on September 12, when the Vikings defeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Rickey Young scored the first regular-season touchdown in the dome on a 3-yard run in the 2nd quarter. On January 9, , the Vikings defeated the Atlanta Falcons , , in a 1st-round game that was the first playoff game at the Metrodome.

The game on January 26, was the second Super Bowl to be played in a cold, winter climate city. Indianapolis, Indiana lost in its bid to host the game at the Hoosier Dome , as did Detroit and Seattle, who had also applied. When opened in , the Metrodome was appreciated for the protection it gave from mosquitoes, and later the weather. Only two Twins games at Metrodome were ever postponed.

The first was on April 14, , when a massive snowstorm prevented the California Angels from getting to Minneapolis. The game would have likely been postponed in any case, however; that night heavy snow caused part of the roof to collapse. The game scheduled for August 1 was played as scheduled about one hour after the bridge had collapsed because the team and police officials were concerned about too many fans departing Metrodome at one time, potentially causing conflict with rescue workers.

The August 2 ceremonial groundbreaking at the eventual Target Field was also postponed, for the same reason. The Twins played their final scheduled regular season game at Metrodome on October 4, , beating the Kansas City Royals , After the game, they held their scheduled farewell celebration. Because they ended the day tied with the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central , a one-game playoff between the teams was played there on October 6, , with the Twins beating the Tigers in 12 innings.

The division clincher would be the Twins' last win at Metrodome. The announced crowd was 54,, setting the regular-season attendance record. The Twins' appearance in this series gave Metrodome the distinction of being the first American League stadium to end its Major League Baseball history with post-season play. The only other stadiums whose final games came in the post-season are Atlanta Fulton County Stadium , the Houston Astrodome and St. When configured as a basketball arena, the fans in the nearby bleachers get a suitable view of the court, but the action is difficult to see in the upper decks and is very far away.

Concessions are very far away from the temporary infrastructure. Most NBA and major college basketball arenas run to a maximum of 20, seats. However, the NCAA tournament makes a significant amount of money selling seats for regional and championship games for the Men's basketball tournament. Metrodome set up for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament ; temporary stands enclose the basketball court on two sides with the permanent stands on the other two.

The Timberwolves used the stadium for its home basketball games during its inaugural season —90 in the NBA, while the team waited for construction of the Target Center to be completed. The team set NBA records for the highest single-season attendance ever: 1,, fans in 41 home games.

The largest crowd for a single game occurred on April 17, 49, fans watched the T-Wolves lose to the Denver Nuggets in the last game of the season. Beginning in the college football season, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers began playing their home football games at Metrodome. The first game was a victory over the Ohio Bobcats on September 11, Initially, attendance increased. Starting in the season, the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Baseball team are playing all of their home games at Metrodome with the exception of a game at the new Target Field on March 27, Later games were played at Siebert Field , except for when all but two home games were played at Metrodome.

The team often played major tournaments at the Dome, which includes the Dairy Queen Classic, where three other major Division I baseball teams play in an invitational. Prior to the NCAA's rule in Division I regarding the start of the college baseball season, the Golden Gophers would often play home games at Metrodome earlier than other teams in the area to neutralize the advantage of warmer-weather schools starting their seasons earlier in the year. Some early Big Ten conference games are played at Metrodome, and the Golden Gophers take advantage of the home field advantage during the early part of the season before the weather warms, and the Gophers can play games on-campus.

Other small colleges also play games in the stadium during the weeks before Metrodome is open for Division I play. In , amateur baseball and softball games—including the majority of the Golden Gophers' home schedule—were played at Metrodome. Out in left field, you had the markings of feet, feet in the right center, in center field, in right center, and in right field. The right field wall stood at 23 feet which made it the tallest right field in the game. The Metrodome was able to sit around 45, people for a baseball game.

When there was an MLB playoff game at the dome, you could see that seating capacity number increase due to extra seating. NFL football games was able to get a crowd seating attendance of over 60, people. Concerts and basketball games would range anywhere between 50, people and 60, visitors. As a franchise, the Twins have won three World Series with the other victory coming in Catching a Twins game was exciting in the Dome as the fans were passionate about their baseball team.

You would see large crowds in the upper deck and along the rows cheering on their Twins during home games. One notable feature of the park was the air pressure roof which was white. By having a white roof like Tropicana Field also being domed stadiums made it hard for players to see the ball during home games.

You would see many players throw their arms up in confusion after losing the ball in the air supported roof. It also required the installation of air conditioning if the lack of it affected attendance.

Although the duct work was in place, the stadium opened without air conditioning, and the Metrodome climate was oppressive during the first summer. Air conditioning was installed and was first used in June of Even with the cooler temperatures in the Metrodome, drawing fans was a problem, mainly because of the poor performance by the Twins.

Despite a number of players who would become stars, eventually helping the team to the world championship in , in the Twins lost more than games, and attendance was only , In , the Twins were , and it was becoming clear that the attendance would probably not achieve the average of 1. The response of the local business community, led by envelope entrepreneur Harvey Mackay, was to begin buying unused tickets to the games.

The plan was to buy the least expensive tickets, which meant focusing on the weekday games, when ticket prices were discounted. Although fewer than 10, fans attended the game, the paid attendance was 26, The next day, with discounted prices in effect, the paid attendance was 51,, although the number of fans present was closer to 8, with more than 2, of those being school-patrol members who got in free, leaving the turnstile count for paid ticket holders at 6, The Twins began announcing two attendance figures for games based on tickets sold and on the turnstile count.

A legal battle loomed as to whether this artificial padding of attendance would actually stop Griffith from exercising his escape clause; instead, in June of , Griffith signed a letter of intent to sell the Twins to banker Carl Pohlad.

Concerns about the lack of revenues generated for baseball in the Metrodome prompted the Twins to seek a new stadium in the latter part of the s, and the issue of a more suitable facility for the team continued into the 21st century and was finally settled with the construction of an open-air stadium on the other end of downtown Minneapolis from the Metrodome.

The Metrodome was functional but short on amenities. The sterile nature of the stadium was not conducive to the aesthetic atmosphere desired by many fans. Other problems included the roof, which caused players to lose sight of fly balls. The first inside-the-park home run at the Metrodome came on Friday night, May 28, when Tom Brunansky hit a high fly to left.

The artificial turf initially installed in the Metrodome was extremely spongy, causing high bounces that played havoc with fielders. White Sox right fielder Harold Baines had a different problem with the turf on Sunday, June 24, The Twins were trailing, , with two on and one out in the last of the ninth when Tim Teufel dropped a hit into right field.

Baines charged in to field the ball, which hit a seam in the turf, bounced over his head, and rolled to the fence. Teufel ended up with a game-winning, three-run inside-the-park home run.

Different types of artificial turf have been installed since then and the problem has lessened. Despite the complaints about the Metrodome, its tenure as the home of the Twins and Vikings has exceeded that of Metropolitan Stadium and has been the site of a number of significant events in baseball and football:.

The Twins won that World Series, against the St. They reached that mark on a home run by Claudell Washington at the Metrodome on April 20, Ripken also played in his 2,th consecutive game at the Metrodome August 1, College, high-school, and other amateur teams frequently use the Metrodome for games.

The Minnesota Gophers schedule many of their early-season games for the Metrodome and sometimes during poor weather have shifted games from Siebert Field, their normal home, to the Metrodome. Amateur teams have often taken the field after Twins games, sometimes playing into the early hours of the next day. Besides the Vikings and Gophers, the Metrodome has hosted many small-college and high-school football games. In , less than a week after the Twins won the World Series, record snowfalls hit the area.

Football fields across Minnesota were covered with snow, and, over the next few weeks, 73 high-school games were relocated to the Metrodome. The Metrodome has hosted many basketball games, including two National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four tournaments, in and The Minnesota Timberwolves used the Metrodome as their home during their inaugural season of , as a new arena was being built for them. The Timberwolves set an NBA attendance record during their season in the Metrodome, although, as the Twins had done to sell enough tickets to reach the 3-million mark in , the Timberwolves orchestrated a sales blitz of deeply discounted tickets in order to reach the level needed to break the previous record.