The Omni Coliseum — known to Atlantans simply as ‘The Omni’ — was a 16,378-seat indoor arena at 100 Techwood Drive in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Opened on October 14, 1972, and demolished by controlled implosion on July 26, 1997, it served for 25 years as the city’s premier professional sports venue and one of the South’s top concert destinations.
Built for $17 million as the anchor of the mixed-use Omni Complex (later rebranded as CNN Center), the 377,000-square-foot facility was designed by Atlanta firm Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates. Its striking space frame roof made it instantly recognizable — but the same Cor-Ten weathering steel exterior that defined its look ultimately contributed to its early demise.
Quick Answer
The Omni Coliseum was an indoor arena at 100 Techwood Drive in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, that operated from October 14, 1972, to May 11, 1997. Home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the NHL’s Atlanta Flames, it also hosted the 1988 Democratic National Convention and 1996 Olympic volleyball before being demolished by implosion on July 26, 1997. The site is now occupied by State Farm Arena, which opened in 1999.
What Was the Omni Coliseum?
The Omni Coliseum Atlanta — also called the Atlanta Omni Arena, the Omni Stadium Atlanta, or simply ‘The Omni’ — was a multipurpose indoor arena that anchored downtown Atlanta’s entertainment district for a quarter century. It sat within the Omni Complex, a mixed-use development connected to the Georgia World Congress Center. That complex was later rebranded as CNN Center after Ted Turner’s media company took over the adjoining hotel and retail space.
With a capacity of 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for hockey, the Omni was one of the larger arenas of its generation. Its 377,000-square-foot footprint made it a genuine dual-sport facility long before that concept became standard in American sports design. The name ‘Omni’ derived from the Latin prefix meaning ‘all’ or ‘every,’ a nod to the venue’s ambition to host virtually every type of large-scale event — and for 25 years, it lived up to that name.
Architecture: The Space Frame Roof and Cor-Ten Steel
Designed by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, the Omni Coliseum was a bold piece of structural engineering for its era. Its most distinctive feature was a space frame roof — an ortho-quad truss lattice of steel members that critics and admirers alike compared to an egg crate or a rusty waffle iron. The exterior walls were clad in Cor-Ten weathering steel, a material intended to form a self-protecting rust patina that would seal the metal and require no painting.
In Atlanta’s heat and humidity, that plan failed. The Cor-Ten steel never formed the stable protective seal its designers envisioned. Instead, it corroded through, eventually opening holes large enough for a person to climb through. The space frame roof also suffered as the building’s foundation settled more than anticipated, causing persistent leaks that dripped onto the hardwood court below. These structural failures, layered with the arena’s shortage of modern luxury boxes, would seal its fate in the 1990s.
Sports Tenants: Hawks, Flames, and the Knights
From opening night in 1972, the Omni Coliseum served as the shared home of two major professional sports franchises. The Atlanta Hawks of the NBA played every regular-season and playoff home game at the Omni throughout the arena’s entire 25-year lifespan. The Atlanta Flames of the NHL were co-tenants from the franchise’s very first season in 1972 until 1980, when the club was sold and relocated to Calgary, Alberta — where it became the Calgary Flames, a name that still pays homage to the city where the franchise was born.
Hockey returned to the Omni when the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League took up residence from 1992 to 1996. The Atlanta Chiefs of the North American Soccer League also played indoor soccer at the venue from 1979 to 1981, underscoring the arena’s genuine all-purpose identity. The ability to reconfigure quickly between basketball and hockey — each drawing a different crowd capacity — was a point of operational pride and a practical asset for a rapidly growing sports city.
Landmark Events: From the Final Four to the Olympics
The Omni Coliseum’s event resume went far beyond regular-season games. On the sports side, it staged the 1977 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, the 1978 NBA All-Star Game, and the 1993 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four. During the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games — among the last major events held at the arena before its closure — the Omni hosted the indoor volleyball competition.
The arena’s most significant political moment came in 1988, when the Democratic National Convention convened inside its walls and nominated Michael Dukakis for president. Over the decades, the Omni also hosted professional wrestling events including marquee NWA and WCW cards, championship boxing matches, and circus and family entertainment, cementing its reputation as Atlanta’s all-purpose gathering place for anything that drew a crowd.
Concert Legacy: Elvis, the Grateful Dead, and 221 Shows
The Omni Coliseum hosted 221 concerts over its 25-year lifespan, making it Atlanta’s primary large-venue concert destination from 1972 to 1997. Elvis Presley performed 12 sellout shows at the Omni between June 1973 and December 1976, routinely filling the arena to near capacity. The Grateful Dead performed at the Omni 24 times between 1973 and 1995 — more than any other musical act — making it one of their most-visited venues on the touring circuit.
The roster of artists who played the Omni reads like a who’s-who of rock and pop history. Madonna brought her Virgin Tour in 1985 and her Who’s That Girl World Tour in 1987. Michael Jackson performed there on his Bad Tour in 1988. Bruce Springsteen, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and the Eagles all played the arena as well. For a generation of Atlanta concertgoers, ‘going to The Omni’ was simply what you did when the biggest shows came to town.
The Demolition of the Omni Coliseum
The Omni Coliseum’s final public event took place on May 11, 1997. By then, the decision to demolish rather than renovate had already been made. The corroded exterior and leaking roof were severe enough that repairs would have been enormously expensive, and the arena’s outdated configuration — with very few of the premium luxury suites that had become the financial engine of modern sports venues — left it economically uncompetitive with newer facilities across the country.
The Omni Coliseum demolition occurred on the morning of July 26, 1997. At 6:43 a.m., a team of demolition experts detonated 2,844 explosive devices in precise sequence, and in roughly 10.5 seconds the arena collapsed in a controlled cascade of dust and steel. The implosion was technically complex: the Omni stood immediately adjacent to CNN Center and a MARTA rail station, and its relatively modern, structurally robust frame required careful sequencing to bring it straight down without damaging neighboring infrastructure. It remains one of the most dramatic implosions in Atlanta’s history.
What Replaced the Omni Coliseum? State Farm Arena
After the Omni Coliseum site was cleared, construction began immediately on a modern successor. Philips Arena — named for the Dutch electronics company that purchased the naming rights — opened on September 18, 1999, on the same footprint at 100 Techwood Drive. It became the new home of the Atlanta Hawks and later housed the Atlanta Thrashers NHL expansion franchise until that team relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. Philips Arena was renamed State Farm Arena in 2018 under a new naming-rights agreement and has since undergone a major renovation.
In a deliberate gesture of continuity, the Omni Coliseum’s original scoreboard was preserved during demolition and relocated to State Farm Arena, where it remains on display as the lone surviving artifact of the arena that defined downtown Atlanta sports for a generation. For fans who filled the Omni’s seats through the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, that scoreboard is a tangible link to an era when ‘going to The Omni’ meant experiencing the best of what Atlanta had to offer.
omni-coliseum-atlanta FAQs
When was the Omni Coliseum demolished?
The Omni Coliseum was demolished on July 26, 1997. At 6:43 a.m., 2,844 explosive charges imploded the building in approximately 10.5 seconds. The arena had hosted its final event on May 11, 1997.
What teams played at the Omni Coliseum?
The primary tenants were the Atlanta Hawks (NBA, 1972–1997) and the Atlanta Flames (NHL, 1972–1980). The Atlanta Knights (IHL, 1992–1996) and the Atlanta Chiefs indoor soccer team (NASL, 1979–1981) also played there.
What replaced the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta?
State Farm Arena (originally named Philips Arena) was built on the same site at 100 Techwood Drive and opened September 18, 1999. It remains the home of the Atlanta Hawks today. The Omni’s original scoreboard was preserved and is on display inside the new arena.
Why was the Omni Coliseum torn down?
Atlanta’s heat and humidity caused the Cor-Ten steel exterior to corrode through rather than form a protective seal, opening holes in the structure. The roof also leaked due to foundation settling. Combined with a severe lack of the luxury suites modern arenas required to be financially viable, demolition was more practical than renovation.
How large was the Omni Coliseum?
The Omni Coliseum covered 377,000 square feet and seated 16,378 fans for NBA basketball games and 15,278 for NHL hockey games. It was one of the larger multipurpose arenas of its era.
What notable concerts were held at the Omni Coliseum?
The Omni hosted 221 concerts over its lifespan. The Grateful Dead performed there 24 times (1973–1995), more than any other act. Elvis Presley played 12 sellout shows between 1973 and 1976. Other major performers included Madonna, Michael Jackson (Bad Tour, 1988), Bruce Springsteen, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and the Eagles.
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