You know how the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas! And apparently, better, as we introduce you to what was the world’s FIRST multi-purpose, domed stadium. Opening in 1965, it was the home of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball, hence the title you may know it by, the Astrodome. Like we said, “everything’s bigger” – so this earned it the moniker “eighth wonder of the world” – yeah this was years before the Burj Khalifa was built! Fun fact: after the original natural grass inside the venue died, the Astrodome became the first large-scale sports venue to install artificial turf, which later became known as “Astro Turf”! An animated scoreboard, which was a technological first, named the “Astrolite” was also housed inside the famous dome. Despite some renovations in the 80s, the 90s saw the Astrodome become obsolete. The Oilers of the NFL, who knew the dome as their home between 1968 and 1996, were moved to Tennessee, changing their name to the Tennessee Titans.
Dongdaemun Stadium (Seoul, South Korea)
What once hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea, has since been demolished. But we’re flying the flame (not the Olympic Torch!), and reminding everyone that it did exist and was important. (So wholesome, we know). The former sports complex and multi-purpose stadium was located near the Great East Gate. Adjacent to the stadium was the Dongdaemun market, which sold mostly athletic goods. But just 20 years later, it was demolished, making way for the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park.
The 1988 Olympics however, held much significance – they were in fact, the last games for the Soviet Union and East Germany (you’ll remember that a year later, the Berlin Wall came down!). Due to it being their last year competing, the Soviets dominated – trying to prove a point? Probs.Since the 1988 Games, South Korea didn’t waste any time (we can’t say any really were abandoned as such), and realized that if Olympic venues weren’t used efficiently, they would be repurposed. However, Dongdaemun stands out, as since being opened in 1925, it lasted a lot longer in its unused state, before finally being destroyed in 2008.
Estadi de Sarrià (Barcelona, Spain)
Standing its ground between 1923 and 1997, next on our list is Estadi de Sarrià, a football stadium in Barcelona, Spain. The stadium, which lay on the road which connected the Sarrià district to Barcelona, was constructed for 170,000 pesetas. The home of Barcelona’s little-known team (well, to the world anyway), RCD Espanyol, it was the second team which Barcelona had entered in La Liga! The glitzy F.C. Barcelona, which grew to great fame over its star Lionel Messi, was one-half of Barcelona’s footballing pursuits.
The other team was RCD Espanyol, the slightly neglected younger brother. Diehards would disagree, but it seems that really, anyone outside of Spain would be scratching their heads. Hey, you just learned something new today! Since 1997, whence it was demolished, RCD moved around before settling in at RCDE Stadium in 2009. Fun fact: the stadium hosted the 1982 FIFA World Cup, as well as five football matches during the 1992 Summer Olympics!
Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park (Beijing, China)
Okay, this image is pretty disconcerting. What you see is the remains of the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park, which was built especially for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Looking at the murky liquid (yeah, we are definitely not calling that water), it seems that water quality is something the Chinese need to look into, stat. Beijing is known for its smog and poor air quality, but we think that may need to be reconsidered looking at the state of this “canoeing” park.
The second most expensive Olympics of all time, the Beijing Olympics was considered a great success, particularly considering the quality and size of the venues and facilities which were constructed leading up to the games. Again, however, it seems there’s a recurring theme: we want to call it the “Olympic curse” – countries invest millions and millions, hoping it will pay itself off, only to turn into a waste of time, money and effort. In the long run, that is! Stadiums and arenas which were once the pride of Beijing, have become empty monoliths. We’re talking like, dystopic Blade Runner ziggurat empty. Pretty damn empty.
Civic Arena Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA)
Well, when you see on Google that the venue is listed with a big red banner “permanently closed”, you know that something went wrong at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. Formerly known as Mellon Arena, it was the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins (the city’s National Hockey League team) from 1967- 2010. Built for $22 million back in 1961, the Civic Auditorium (as it was once known) had a very unique shape and structure – so much so that it was given the nickname “The Igloo”, with its retractable roof and use of over 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel.
Now that’s an advertisement for the steel company! With its classic dome shape, it wasn’t without its problems – the engineering clearly wasn’t spot on, as the cost and repairs to hydraulic jacks didn’t quite justify it being opened fully every time. After 1995, retractions were halted, with the roof permanent closed after 2001. The historic hockey venue saw its end in 2012 after various groups declined to give the venue historic status. In its place? Well, existing parking lots were expanded over the site. Pretty sad tbh. But it seems that the Penguins still have the rights to redevelop the property – but since 2014 we haven’t heard anything!