‘Sense of pride and new spirit.’ Tacoma Dome celebrates 40 years of being a city asset

A dome of Tacoma’s own is celebrating 40 years this weekend.

People marveled when the Tacoma Dome opened on April 21, 1983. At the time, the venue had the largest wood-span roof in the world.

The Tacoma Dome was once a “pie-in-the sky” campaign promise made by former Mayor Mike Parker to stage the World’s Fair in the city, according to 1973 articles in The News Tribune. Parker envisioned Tacoma hosting the World’s Fair in 1989 for the state’s centennial, an event similar to Seattle’s Century 21 Exposition in 1962 and Spokane’s Expo ‘74.

The vision of a dome began before 1925 by Tacoma pioneer E. Taylor Gardner, who had “long visualized the Stadium roofed, enclosed and made over into a structure unlike anything that has ever been built on earth,” according to the book, “Tacoma Dome: Built by and for the People of the City of Tacoma, Washington.” His dream triggered Tacoma to think about “A Dome Of Our Own.”

Initially, Tacomans were not in favor of a dome, turning down three bond proposals: a $10 million bond in 1967, a $12 million effort in 1972 and a $14 million measure in 1976, according to the book. It was brought to voters again in 1980, and the $28 million bond was approved with a 70% vote.

The dome needed a viable site. Parker set his eyes on the Hawthorne residential area north of Interstate 5 at the base of McKinley Hill. According to a 1979 The News Tribune article, it was one of the city’s first working-class neighborhoods and had about 325 residents.

Houses in Hawthorne were picked up and moved or bought by the city and demolished. The federal law at the time required the city to relocate residents at up to $15,000 more than the home’s value, according to an archived article. Some residents protested, according to 1980 Tacoma News Tribune photo.

The city broke ground on the Tacoma Dome on July 1, 1981.

Adam Cook, Tacoma Venues & Events director, said in an interview Tuesday the goal of the Tacoma Dome was to provide a place for Tacomans to gather and have their celebrations, along with bringing the city forward on a world stage.

“That was its design,” he said. “That was the intention. We are here for the community and that’s part of why it’s a city asset.”

The Jury of Recommendation advised and assisted the city with the Tacoma Dome construction. Jacki Skaught was one of the seven members and represented the community at large.

Skaught said in an interview Wednesday the Dome was possible because of the support from voters, it being a design built and the city’s leadership at the time.

She said the Tacoma Dome was a bit of a miracle and there were opportunities in construction for it to falter. Skaught pointed at the planned ice arena, which did not work technically at the Dome.

An art project on the roof of the Tacoma Dome ended in controversy. At the time, the City Council had an arts ordinance in which 1 percent of the cost of future public construction would be set aside for public arts projects. Andy Warhol submitted a large flower design. Stephen Antonakos wanted to place neon arcs and angles. It was later determined the artwork would damage the roof and was not feasible.

Cook said people to this day inquire about Warhol’s flower art design proposal.

Despite some of the challenges, the Tacoma Dome had its grand opening April 21, 1983. Skaught said the Dome opened early and under budget.

Tacoma Mayor Doug Sutherland, who served from 1982 to 1989, wrote a letter that was published in the Tacoma Dome book.

“It is real, it is beautiful, it is the reflection of the tremendous sense of pride and new spirit in Tacoma,” Sutherland stated.

“We look forward to years and years of happy events being presented in this building,” he added

The Dome can accommodate 1,000 to 21,000 patrons, making it Washington State’s largest indoor venue. The Dome’s architects used the 1977 Skydome Stadium in Flagstaff, Ariz. as an example. The wood-span roof was 530 feet in diameter, using more than eight miles of wood, enough to build 160 single-family homes. The roof alone cost $4 million. One of the beams was signed by about 6,000 Tacoma residents. It now rests squarely in the middle of the Dome’s ceiling.

The Tacoma Dome celebrated its opening with entertainment by The Lettermen and Rick Nelson. They also served 50,000 hot dogs and 60,000 cups of soft drinks.

The first 90 days were booked solid, the assistant director who booked Dome events said at the time, according to the Tacoma Dome book. It hosted a boat show, home show, auto show, circus, rodeo, ice show, the Billy Graham Crusade, a Washington State University against University of Puget Sound basketball game, Kenny Rogers, Wayne Newton, Diana Ross and Neil Diamond.

Over its 40 years, the Tacoma Dome has brought in many more concerts – its first major concert was Davie Bowie on his “Serious Moonlight” tour on Aug. 11, 1983. Fifteen performers have played at the Tacoma Dome at least five times, including Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, Garth Brooks, Elton John, EDM DJ Excision and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.

The Tacoma Dome was involved in a Justin Bieber hoax. On Oct. 9, 2012, the pop singer played a show at the T-Dome. The next day in a publicity stunt, he claimed his camera and laptop, which held “a lot of personal footage,” had been stolen during the show, which turned out not to be true. Bieber was set to return to the Dome in 2022, but the musician canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the touring team.

It has also seen many sporting events. The Sonics played at the Dome in 1994 to 1995 when the Seattle Coliseum was being renovated. The WWF Wrestling Federation matched up Andre the Giant vs. The Ultimate Warrior in 1989 at the Dome. Junior hockey teams played at the Tacoma Dome. Washington state high school basketball champion games are played there still. Thousands of high school wrestlers travel to the Tacoma Dome for the annual state tournament Mat Classic.

The Dome also has been the scene of tragedy. A child was grievously injured at Tacoma Dome Monster Jam truck show in 2009. The 6-year-old boy was hit in the head by a piece of metal dislodged from one of the trucks. He later died at the hospital.

The Dome hosted Tacoma glass artist Dale Chihuly’s sculpture, “100,000 Pounds of Ice and Neon,” in 1993. The piece was made of thousands of feet of neon encased in ice, which slowly melted away over two days.

More than 25 million people have visited the Tacoma Dome for entertainment and events, according to the Dome’s website.

The venue went through a $30 million capital improvement in 2018 to bring better seating, upgrade and add restrooms, provide more points of sale for food and beverage and renovate the loading docks and dressing rooms.

Skaught said she is proud of how well the Dome has served the community, for graduations, for sporting events, political speakers like former First Lady Michelle Obama, and significant entertainers.

“This is the people’s building,” she said.

The Tacoma Dome is a community asset, Cook said. The dome has been the backdrop for a multitude of high school graduations. It assisted during the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a testing and vaccination site. Farmers also used the Tacoma Dome as a venue to give away 200,000 pounds of potatoes to those in need during the pandemic. It also hosts the Asia Pacific New Year Celebration.

“There isn’t a single person in this community who doesn’t have a Dome story,” Cook said.

He said the Tacoma Dome is iconic, not just because of the impact on a world stage, but its impact at a local level.

To celebrate its anniversary, Tacoma Venues & Events is inviting the community to T-Town: Play. Explore. Learn. – City Services Expo this weekend for a free, family-friendly event.

On Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tacoma Public Schools and Korsmo Construction Trades & Hiring Fair will have more than 1,000 students bused to explore career opportunities at 120 vendors. The fair will continue on Saturday. The Bridge Music Project will be performing.

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, there will be musical performances by Radio 80 and Sin City to celebrate each decade of the Dome’s history. Departments from the City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities will provide interactive experiences, including an opportunity to Touch-A-Truck with vehicles from Environmental Services, Tacoma Police Department, Tacoma Fire Department, Public Works, Tacoma Water, Rail and Power, and more. The Tacoma Rainiers’ mascot will make an appearance. Free hot dog bundles will be provided.

Cook said being a gathering space for the community is the Tacoma Dome’s bread and butter.

Cook said the next 10 years of the Tacoma Dome looks similar from an offerings standpoint, bringing in the top talented artists to entertain the region while serving the cultural and community side. He said a significant capital investment is needed to make the Tacoma Dome a better experience for its guests, which will include additional restrooms and food and beverage offerings.

“At the end of the day, we’re a city entity here to serve the citizens and serve the community in Tacoma,” he said.