Silverdome Implosion Fails

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — With apologies to John Mellencamp, the walls did not come tumblin’ down in Pontiac early Sunday morning. The 400,000 square foot Sliverdome still stands, despite contractor Adamo Group’s best efforts to bring it crumblin’ crumblin’ down.

At about 8:30 a.m., explosives went off around the Silverdome and plumes of smoke billowed out, but the structure — built in 1975 — did not implode, according to a Detroit News report. Adamo Executive Vice President Rick Cuppetilli told the newspaper technical issues kept the stadium from falling.

“The main eight columns that actually were the ones that would trip the structure, we don’t know if the cord was detonated or cut,” Cuppetilli told the Detroit News. “We don’t know it didn’t detonate. It’s not coming down right now.”

The Pontiac Silverdome closed in 2002 when the Detroit Lions moved downtown to Ford Field. Over the years, it hosted a Superbowl, countless music stars — from Elvis to Madonna and Bob Seger — World Cup Soccer and even the Pope.

Unless gravity finishes the demolition company’s work and causes the structure to fall, excavators will be used to take it down, Cuppetilli told the Detroit Free Press. He said trespassers were on the property Friday and that security failed to catch them. Cuppetilli said he was unsure if the trespassers had anything to do with the Silverdome’s failed implosion.

“We actually saw flashlights in there, security tried to converge, and they jumped the fence,” Cuppetilli told the Free Press. “They could have tripped over a wire when they were running away.”

Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP