The
Knights played their home games at the
Omni Coliseum. It stood for 25 years as the Atlanta area's
primary indoor spectator sporting arena. The Omni was easily recognized by its
square outline and its unusual steel-egg-carton designed roof. The roof design
served to allow a larger building without need of internal roof supports. The
Omni was demolished soon after the 1996 Olympics to make way for a new
multipurpose coliseum -- Philips Arena.
Facts
| Full Name: |
The Omni Coliseum |
| Owners: |
City of Atlanta |
| Location: |
100 Techwood Drive
Adjacent to CNN Center and Georgia Dome
On current site of Philips Arena
|
| Built: |
1968 - 1972 |
| Builders: |
Thompson, Ventulett and Stainback, Architects;
Prybylowski and Gravino, Structural Engineers |
| Dedicated: |
1972 |
| Demolished: |
6:43 a.m. Saturday July 26, 1997 |
| First Event: |
Atlanta Flames vs. Buffalo Sabres hockey, Oct. 14, 1972 |
| Last Event: |
World Figure Skating Champions performance, Thurs.,
|
| First Concert: |
Cat Stevens, Oct. 30, 1972 |
| Last Concert: |
Metallica, April 23, 1997 |
| Other Tenants: |
NHL Atlanta Flames (1972-1980)
NBA Atlanta Hawks (1972-1997)
1996 Olympic Volleyball venue
|
| Capacity (hockey): |
15,278 (luxury boxes: 0) |
| Construction Cost: |
$17 million (1972) |
| Elvis Presley: |
Played the Omni on June 21, 1973, to a full house of 17,143; a
commemorative plaque was placed in the Omni main atrium.
|
Other
events and tenants: The Omni hosted the Democratic Party's 1988 national
convention (which nominated Michael Dukakis for president); The Roller Hockey
International League's Atlanta Fire Ants (owned by the Knights organization)
also played home games here during that league's 1994 season.
The Omni
was an eyesore, to be sure, with its 1970s brown metal exterior and distinctive
(but very ugly) egg-carton roof. It had no amenities to speak of -- no luxury
boxes, no club seating, only one restaurant, no video or replay boards, a
single, narrow concourse, limited parking, and inadequate restroom facilities.
It had a number of quirks, such as "the Well" in the upper deck -- the walkway
around the upper deck was between the first and second rows, separating the
first row into its own "well" that overhung the lower deck. It was bug- and
rat-infested and the office complexes in the building, designed for the teams
that played there, were accessible only through an assortment of underground
passages.
The
Knights called the Omni home from their inception in 1992 to their final game
in 1996. During that time, there were virtually no improvements made to the
Omni's infrastructure, neighborhood, or amenities. Knights fans didn't care --
they were there for the hockey -- but the lords of the Atlanta Hawks were
missing out on the lucrative luxury box, merchandising, and concessions income
that would come from a lavish new arena. So, it was announced, after the 1996
Olympics, the Omni would be torn down and replaced with a new palace.
The main gondola scoreboard from the Omni now hangs in the Philips Arena
entrance atrium on Techwood Drive near the CNN Center portals.