Omni Coliseum

The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, from the Latin for "all," or "every," was an indoor arena, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378, for basketball and 15,278, for ice hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Center.

Demolished in 1997, the only remaining reminder is the scoreboard from the Omni that now hangs in the pavilion of the Philips Arena.

History

This arena was an architectural marvel when first constructed, combining innovative design for the roof, seating, and the structure itself. The logo is based on the unique seating arrangement. Its exterior of Cor-Ten was supposed to "surface rust" to seal itself, making a solid steel structure that would last for decades. The Omni was noted for its distinctive space frame roof, often joked about as looking like an egg crate or a rusty waffle iron. Designed by the firm of Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates with structural engineering work by the firm of Prybylowski and Gravino, the roof was technically described as an ortho-quad truss system. Elvis Presley performed twice in the Omni and a plaque was placed on an interior wall to that effect after his death.

Among the other non-sports events hosted at the Omni was the 1988 Democratic National Convention, and many Grateful Dead concerts in the 90's.

Basketball and hockey

The Omni was home to the NBA Atlanta Hawks from 1972–1997, the NHL Atlanta Flames...
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