Omni Coliseum
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| Omni Coliseum | |
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| The Omni | |
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| Location | 100 Techwood Drive, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30303 |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Demolished | 1997 |
| Owner | City of Atlanta |
| Architect | Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates |
| Tenants | Atlanta Flames (NHL) (1972-1980) Atlanta Hawks (NBA) (1972-1997) Atlanta Chiefs (NASL Indoors) (1979-1981) Atlanta Attack (AISA/NPSL) (1989-1991) Atlanta Knights (IHL) (1992-1996) Atlanta Fire Ants (RHI) (1994) 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament 1996 Summer Olympics (basketball) |
| Capacity | 16,378 basketball 15,278 ice hockey |
The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, from the Latin for "all," or "every," was an indoor arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for ice hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Center. The only remaining reminder is the scoreboard from the Omni that now hangs in the pavilion of the Philips Arena.
[edit] History
This arena was an architectural marvel when first constructed, combining innovative design for the roof, seating, and the structure itself. The logo is based on the unique seating arrangement. Its exterior of Cor-Ten was supposed to "surface rust" to seal itself, making a solid steel structure that would last for decades. The Omni was noted for its distinctive space frame roof, often joked about as looking like an egg crate or a rusty waffle iron[citation needed]. Designed by the firm of Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates with structual engineering work by the firm of Prybylowski and Gravino, the roof was technically described as an ortho-quad truss system.
The Omni was home to the NBA Atlanta Hawks from 1972–1997, the NHL Atlanta Flames from 1972–1980 (now the Calgary Flames), and the IHL Atlanta Knights (1992-1996). The Knights were the only pro team to win a championship in the building by winning the Turner Cup in 1994. The arena also hosted the 1977 NCAA Final Four, won by Marquette University over North Carolina in what was Warriors' (their nickname at the time) coach Al McGuire's last game, one SEC and three ACC men's basketball tournaments, the 1978 NBA All-Star Game, the 1993 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four, and the volleyball matches for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The Flames have since been replaced by the Atlanta Thrashers, who began play in 1999 after the Omni was demolished and Philips Arena was built.
The Omni was also home to many legendary professional wrestling events, as it was the "home arena" for many of WWE's rival promotions, starting with Georgia Championship Wrestling. After they were sold, the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, Ted Turner/Time Warner's World Championship Wrestling used the building many times. In total, four Starrcades (1985, 1986, 1989, 1992) were held there, as well as parts of two NWA Great American Bash events (1986, 1987) and Slamboree 1993. In actuality, The Omni wasn't the "home arena" for Jim Crockett Promotions, it was the Greensboro Coliseum. When Turner bought out JCP in 1989, the Omni became the "home arena" for the NWA/WCW.
The Omni was frequent host to musical acts over the course of its lifetime, with performers and bands such as Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Queen,Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Prince, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Paula Abdul, Tom Petty, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, The Police, The Who, U2, R.E.M., and Phish. The Police's "Synchronicity Concert" was filmed at the Omni in November 1983. Pink Floyd filmed three shows at the Omni in November of 1987 but the films were scrapped though three tracks were used for videos. The full show is now being traded by fans. Def Leppard's live home video "In the Round, In Your Face", was filmed at the Omni in October 1988.
Among the other non-sports events hosted at the Omni was the 1988 Democratic National Convention.
[edit] Problems
One of the problems with the building was that some of the innovations were not successful. The worst was that the exterior never ceased rusting to seal itself. By the mid 1990s, the rusting exterior had holes big enough that a chain link was installed in a number of locations to keep people from crawling though the wall to see events. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a growing number of NBA and NHL teams starting constructing new arenas with better amenities for their high-end customers, such as luxury boxes, club level seating and massive club concourses in order to increase their revenue streams. Some of these new arenas had as many as 200 luxury boxes, compared to the Omni which had only had 16 boxes and no club level at all, thus putting the Atlanta Hawks at a competitive disadvantage. It was also a disadvantage to the city of Atlanta; until the Georgia Dome was built in 1992, the Omni served as its largest indoor facility in terms of seating capacity.
Built on a former railroad yard, after construction the Omni settled more than its designers expected. There were unanticipated stresses in the space frame roof, which often leaked.
Although the Omni hosted many events, it lost more than its share due to its smaller seating capacity and lack of amenities, especially when compared to new buildings constructed in other cities, which often seated over 19,000 people. Despite quite enjoyable seating and viewing for the fans, the structure had the outward appearance of looking very dated and "old" by that time (although the arena was only 20 years old), so there was a collective effort by many parties to build a replacement. This also stemmed from the desire of Ted Turner to own an NHL franchise after being burned before over a decade ago when the successful and popular Atlanta Flames (they constantly outdrew the Hawks when they were sharing the building; many of their attendance records didn't fall until the mid-late '80s) were sold to Canadian businessmen and moved to Calgary. However, the only way the league would approve an expansion team to him was with the guarantee of a new arena. In 1997, the Omni was demolished and Philips Arena was constructed on the same site, with its completion in 1999.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Alexander Memorial Coliseum |
Home of the Atlanta Hawks 1972 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Georgia Dome & Alexander Memorial Coliseum |
| Preceded by first arena |
Home of the Atlanta Flames 1972 – 1980 |
Succeeded by Stampede Corral |
| Preceded by The Spectrum |
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Finals Venue 1977 |
Succeeded by The Checkerdome |
| Preceded by MECCA Arena |
Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1978 |
Succeeded by Pontiac Silverdome |
| Preceded by Moscone Center |
Host of the Democratic National Convention 1988 |
Succeeded by Madison Square Garden |
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