the dome is gone

At 11:00am Pacific time today, a Vancouver landmark will disappear forever. The dome on B.C. Place Stadium will be deflated and removed, in preparation of a new retractable roof that will be built.

B.C. Place stadium was built for Expo 86, and was one of the few inflatable roofs on a stadium in the world. It was home to the B.C. Lions football team for years. It also housed many, many rock concerts, home shows, car/boat/RV shows, monster truck rallies, and the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

I remember when the stadium was built and when the dome was inflated. And, in all those years, I've only seen it deflated once when a hole appeared during a snow storm a few years ago.

But, the time has come. The roof is old, and outdated. It would cost more to replace the dome concept, than it would to replace the entire roof. So, BC Place will be shut down (The Lions will now play at the old Empire Stadium), and a new roof will be built.