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Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium demolition a 'bittersweet moment'

Aerial view of half-way through the implosion of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium 8/2/97. (AJC Staff Photo/Jean Shifrin) 8/97
Aerial view of half-way through the implosion of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium 8/2/97. (AJC Staff Photo/Jean Shifrin) 8/97
AS
By Ana Santos

This story has been updated.

The Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium was an Atlanta landmark, standing in downtown Atlanta for 32 years. Then it was imploded on August 2, 1997, a week after the Omni was demolished, as a part of an intiative to bring progress to the area.

Now the space is memorialized in a parking lot for Turner Field.

Here are the numbers: It took 30 seconds for 1,600 pounds of explosives to crumble the 32-year-old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium into a 10,000 ton "pile of rubble and twisted steel beams." It was the biggest explosion in Atlanta since a Confederate ammunition train was blown up.

"It's a bittersweet moment, " Mayor Bill Campbell had said. "There's a lot of history, a lot of memories there. But now we are beginning the process of rebuilding the community."

Aerial view of the aftermath of the implosion of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium 8/2/97, with Turner Field on the left. (AJC Staff Photo/Jean Shifrin) 8/97
Aerial view of the aftermath of the implosion of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium 8/2/97, with Turner Field on the left. (AJC Staff Photo/Jean Shifrin) 8/97

The Atlanta Falcons debuted there in 1966 and used it as their home field for 26 years, according to the Altanta Journal-Constutiton. The Falcons' current stadium, the Georgia Dome, is scheduled for demolition in 2017.

The Atlanta Crackers, the Beatles and Billy Graham also stood in the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium's spotlight.