Tacoma Dome is an indoor multi-purpose arena in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It is located south of Downtown Tacoma, adjacent to Interstate 5 and Tacoma Dome Station. It is currently used for basketball tournaments by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), concerts, and other community events. In its early years, it was primarily used as a venue for minor league ice hockey and indoor soccer, and later temporarily hosted professional teams from Seattle. History Proposals to build a domed stadium in Tacoma were submitted to voters in various ballot measures in 1967, 1972, and 1976, but were all rejected. Following the completion of the Kingdome in Seattle, campaigners in Tacoma pushed for "a dome of our own"; a 1980 vote on a $28 million bond measure was approved and funded the construction of the Tacoma Dome. Construction began on July 1, 1981, at a site near Interstate 5; sites near Cheney Stadium and in downtown were also considered. The city planned to lure a National Hockey League team to the new stadium, but were unable to find a professional sports team to occupy the dome. It was designed by local architects McGranahan and Messenger, who won an international design competition, and cost $44 million to construct. It opened on April 21, 1983, with 25,000 people attending the opening ceremonies. At in diameter and in height, the arena seats 20,722 for basketball games, with a maximum capacity of 21,000. It was the largest arena with a wooden dome in the world by volume at the time of its opening; the Superior Dome in Marquette, Michigan, opened in 1991 witha larger-diameter geodesic dome at , but is high and seats a maximum of 16,000). The dome's roof weighs ; some of the planks that form the roof were sourced from felled timber following the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Unlike most other arenas of its size, the arena contains little in the way of fixed seating, so as to maximize the flexibility of the seating arrangements and the shape of the playing field. It can also host American football, albeit with seating reduced to 10,000. The dome's first event was a concert by American singer/actor Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band as part of the Dome's opening festivities on April 24, 1983. The stadium's turf was replaced in 1992 and 2006. The stadium has not has a professional team as