15 Years Ago Today: Seattle’s Kingdome Demolished [VIDEO]

March 26th, 2000 saw the end of an era and, to some, the end of an eyesore when Seattle's King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium- better known as the Kingdome -  was demolished just 25 years after opening.

Ground was broken for the structure in 1972 and was open for business by 1976.  The first event ever held was a soccer match between the now defunct NASL's New York Cosmos (featuring soccer legend Pele`) against the Seattle Sounders.  The Dome was also home to MLB's Seattle Mariners until SafeCo Field opened in 1999 as well as the NFL's Seahawks and the NBA's SuperSonics. The largest crowd ever assembled was at a 1976 Billy Graham Crusade where an estimated 74,000 people attended.

The Dome originally cost taxpayers $67 million and the bonds used to pay for it will finally be paid for sometime next year, some 16 years following its destruction.

Thousands watched on television and in person from safe distances surrounding the SoDo district on this date some 25 years ago to say goodbye to the concrete mushroom that saw three NCAA basketball champion's crowned as well as dozens of major concerts including Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Metallica within its drab walls.

Here is what the controlled demolition looked like: