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."
It's where Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run and became baseball's all-time career home run leader. It's where the press box caught fire the day of Fred McGriff's trade to the Braves. It's where the 1996 Summer Olympics baseball competition was held (Cuba won gold, USA won bronze). And that's just what happened in baseball.
Credit: JEAN SHIFRIN
Credit: JEAN SHIFRIN
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.
Turner Field won't be in use for much longer than the Fulton County Stadium was. Construction continues at the future home of the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park in Cobb County, where stadium spending has exceeded $131 million.
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