“That didn’t work.”

December 4, 2017 12:36 PM

The Pontiac Silverdome, once home to the Detroit Lions - and Wrestlemania III (previously) - has been in a state of decay ever since its closure. On Sunday, an attempt to demolish it with explosives failed, prompting a range of hot takes and Detroit Lions-related jokes. The Pontiac Silverdome previously: 1, 2.

No comment from MARTA (previously, stadium implosion-related) at this time.

posted by mandolin conspiracy (26 comments total)

All the marching bands that get cut short on performance time during halftime these days could go there instead and march around it seven times blowing horns.
posted by randomkeystrike at 12:47 PM on December 4, 2017 [15 favorites]

Ok, I'm sure someone on this thread can enlighten us with what happens next. It seems highly dangerous to send workers back in to set charges.
posted by simra at 12:56 PM on December 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

close air support?
posted by j_curiouser at 1:01 PM on December 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

There's a live feed for take 2, scheduled for right now: link

Those parked cars look awfully close.
posted by cardboard at 1:01 PM on December 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

Many of those cars are Dieselgate VWs!
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2017/09/13/stolen-volkswagen-diesels-stolen-silverdome/662454001/
posted by stobor at 1:04 PM on December 4, 2017 [6 favorites]

There's a live feed for take 2, scheduled for right now: link

Kaboom. Looked like it worked this time. Thanks for the link!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:10 PM on December 4, 2017

> It seems highly dangerous to send workers back in to set charges.

IIRC the root cause was that the cables failed, not the explosives. So the parts of the building where they didn't go off are about as safe as they were the morning of the first attempt, and the undetonated explosives are stable.
posted by ardgedee at 1:10 PM on December 4, 2017

I clicked over to the live feed just in time to see the second attempt, which was pretty cool.

It looks like they succeeded in knocking more of it down - like the upper grandstand areas all around - but the whole structure still looks pretty intact and not what I would consider "successfully imploded."
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 1:11 PM on December 4, 2017

Seems like there is kind of a lot still standing, did it fail again?
posted by ghharr at 1:12 PM on December 4, 2017

It was supposed to be only a partial demolition, but I don't know if this blew up what it was supposed to or not. The demo doesn't look symmetrical.
posted by cardboard at 1:14 PM on December 4, 2017

They were just trying to take down the upper level, apparently:

Officials with the demolition contractor, Detroit-based Adamo Group, confirmed that the explosions failed to bring down the steel columns supporting the Silverdome's upper level. The detonations — and anticipated collapse of the upper level — were to be the opening round for a year-long demolition project, which will mostly be done with hydraulic excavators.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:15 PM on December 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

I thought not even doing a good job of imploding properly was the Bears schtick now.

:(
posted by lmfsilva at 1:16 PM on December 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

The Silverdome was reached for comment and said only this.
posted by GuyZero at 1:16 PM on December 4, 2017 [4 favorites]

Didn't we learn anything from blowing up whales? C'MON, SHEEPLE!
posted by hanov3r at 1:50 PM on December 4, 2017

That's not how you build excitement, Pontiac.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:02 PM on December 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Thanks for the explanation on the cars. I was speculating as to who would leave their car parked their when the stadium was getting imploded... thousands of recalled foreign cars in Detroit. /irony
posted by randomkeystrike at 2:34 PM on December 4, 2017

Reminds me of a great sweatshirt I saw recently:
NFC North -
The Good: < Vikings Logo >
The Bad: < Bears Logo>
The Ugly: < Packers Logo>
posted by wotsac at 3:05 PM on December 4, 2017

I just saw an event on Facebook for "Come Throw Rocks at the Pontiac Dome." I lol'd.
posted by TwoStride at 3:33 PM on December 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Whenever I read about something like this I think of Willam Hurt's character in the movie "A History of Violence" staring in bewilderment, and saying: "How did you fuck that up?"
posted by greenhornet at 3:41 PM on December 4, 2017

Second attempt got what they wanted: most of the internal structure of the top area was there to support the roof. They wanted to sever the steel beams that made up that structure. Now they move in and take out all the concrete and the stands. All is right with Adamo group now. They are apparently looking into why the cables failed: my guess is they were cut.
posted by disclaimer at 3:52 PM on December 4, 2017

Moe Szyslak: "Now, now... lay off Detroit. Them people is livin' in Mad Max Times."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:27 PM on December 4, 2017

The first time that I'd seen the photography of Annie Leibovitz was her weirdly glowing stage shots of Aerosmith live at the Silverdome 1976 in the Rolling Stone (sorry, mere descriptions only, the essay is kinda funny.)
posted by ovvl at 5:43 PM on December 4, 2017

The second implosion today knocked it down.
posted by bricksNmortar at 6:10 PM on December 4, 2017

Ok, I'm sure someone on this thread can enlighten us with what happens next. It seems highly dangerous to send workers back in to set charges.

just spread a rumor that the supports are made out of copper and people will be sneaking in to take care of the problem overnight
posted by pyramid termite at 6:27 PM on December 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

The second implosion today knocked it down.
posted by bricksNmortar

Eponystructural.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:45 PM on December 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

There was reportedly a break-in at some point before the scheduled implosion, and speculation that wires were either inadvertently pulled out or deliberately cut.
posted by Preserver at 1:36 PM on December 5, 2017