Stadium's debts paid off—15 years after implosion

Travis Pittman | King-TV, Seattle

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch Seattle's Kingdome stadium implode This video from March 26, 2000 shows the Kingdome in Seattle imploding under a cloud of dust. The county that financed the Kindome just announced it has collected enough money to finally pay off its debts.

SEATTLE – Fifteen years to the day Seattle's former sports stadium was imploded, the county that financed the Kingdome says it has collected enough money to finally pay off its debts.

In 1994, tiles fell from building's roof, prompting an emergency closure and multimillion dollar fix. It was financed on a 20-year debt payment structure and was set to expire at the end of 2015.

King County Budget Director Dwight Dively confirmed Wednesday the county has collected enough money through hotel and motel taxes to pay off the debt nine months early.

It's not a done deal just yet. The money to pay off the bonds will be held in escrow until the end of the year. Any excess money collected from now until Dec. 31 will go to 4Culture. It's an organization which helps arts, heritage, preservation and cultural programs.

The Kingdome, the former home of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team and the Seattle Mariners baseball team, was imploded on March 26, 2000. The planned, violent dismantling of the covered stadium—broadcast live—took place in under half a minute, sending huge, rolling clouds of concrete dust across the city's skyline.

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