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Two years after its opening in 1992, the biggest game in sports
came to Atlanta when the Georgia Dome hosted Super Bowl XXVIII.
Since the team's inception in 1966, the Falcons had played at
Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, a multipurpose stadium that was
also home of the Atlanta Braves (MLB). As early as November 1983,
the owner of the Falcons, Rankin Smith, wanted a new stadium for
the Falcons. Two years later Atlanta businessmen joined efforts
with city and county officials to obtain funding for a new
stadium. Discussions were slow, with some officials suggesting
that Atlanta Fulton County Stadium be renovated. Smith viewed this
plan as unacceptable and threatened to move the Falcons to
Jacksonville. By 1988, talks
intensified about building a new stadium, and in 1989, approval
finally came
from the state, the Atlanta City Council and Fulton County
Commission to build a domed stadium. Ground breaking ceremonies
occurred on November 22, 1989 and the Georgia Dome was completed
by the start of the 1992 NFL season.
The Falcons played their first game at the
Georgia Dome on September 6, 1992 when over 70,000 fans filled the
stadium. Three tiers of seats
circle the entire gridiron. Every
seat from the lower to the upper deck has a great view of the
field. The
roof is made of Teflon and fiberglass. The
Georgia Dome has many amenities including several food courts, the
In-Zone Restaurant, Kickers Sports Bar, Millers Lodge, over 4,600
club seats and 164 luxury suites. After the 2002 season, the
surface of the Georgia Dome was changed from Astroturf to Fieldturf. In 2006, a $30 million renovation plan was approved to upgrade the
Georgia Dome. Luxuries areas were updated, eight new super-suites
were created and new LED ribbon-boards were installed. Before the
2008 season all of the original teal seats were replaced with new
red and black seats, the facade was repainted, concourses were
upgraded and new High-Definition videoboards were installed. The
Georgia Dome has hosted Super Bowls XXXIV in 1994 and
XXVIII in 2000. It also hosted several Olympic events in 1996,
was the home of the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) in 1998-'99, and hosted
the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2003 and 2007. Each year the Georgia
Dome is home to the SEC Football Championship and the Chick-fil-A
Bowl. Over the past year the Falcons have began working with the
Georgia World Congress Center Authority to build a new stadium
for the team. The latest plan is for a $947.7 million
retractable roof stadium that would lead to the demolition of
the Georgia Dome. The Falcons believe the Georgia Dome does not
offer the premium seating and other amenities found in NFL
stadiums recent built.
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