The Dome at Crown Perth
Former namesBurswood Superdome (1987–1999)
Burswood Dome (1999–2012)
AddressCrown Perth
Great Eastern Highway
Burswood WA 6100
Australia
LocationPerth, Western Australia
OwnerCrown Limited Group
Capacity21,754 or 13,600 (seated)
8,500 (basketball)
7,000 (tennis)
Construction
Opened28 August 1987 (1987-08-28)
Closed7 September 2012 (2012-09-07)
Demolished5 July 2013 (2013-07-05)
Tenants
Hopman Cup (1989–2012)
Perth Wildcats (1994; 2004)

The Dome at Crown Perth (originally the Burswood Superdome and formerly the Burswood Dome) was a multi-purpose indoor arena used for sports and entertainment. The dome was 8,800 square metres (95,000 sq ft) in size, with seating for 13,600 people. The whole arena was pressurised so that the fibreglass roof was suspended 35 metres (115 ft) above the ground.[1]

It was a venue for indoor sports, notably the Hopman Cup tennis tournament from 1989 until 2012, which was moved to the Perth Arena for the 2013 and future events, and for pop music concerts.

Entertainment

Many notable artists performed there, the record attendance being 20,000 for Cliff Richard & The Shadows.[1] Other performers since 1987 have included AC/DC, Kiss, U2, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, Pink, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Iron Maiden, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, The Black Eyed Peas, Guns N' Roses, Florence and the Machine, George Michael, Christina Aguilera, Delta Goodrem, Gwen Stefani, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Linkin Park, Rihanna, Roger Waters and Top Gear Live.[2]

Sports

As a sports venue, the Dome was the home of the Hopman Cup and occasionally hosted Perth Wildcats' National Basketball League games. At one time the dome was also considered as a possible home venue for the A-League's Perth Glory while renovations were taking place at their usual home, Perth Oval, though the Glory eventually decided to stay at the Oval rather than play inside the Dome on an artificial surface. The Dome was also the venue used for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) shows in Perth while on their Australian tours.

Closure and demolition

The Dome at Crown being demolished, August 2013

As of October 2012, firm plans for Crown's major new hotel development and for a state-controlled Perth Stadium on nearby land have ensured that the dome will be removed, probably to provide an additional 2.2 hectares (5.4 acres) of car parking.[3] Government approval for demolition was granted on 31 May 2012, and demolition works started in July 2013 with the land to be used for 1000 car parking bays.[4][5] The roof was deflated on 28 June 2013.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Burswood Dome". austadiums.com. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  2. ^ Burswood Dome (Australia) at TVtrip
  3. ^ Parker, Gareth Sale spells the end for golf course Archived 5 January 2013 at archive.today, The West Australian 2 August 2010, at news.yahoo
  4. ^ Elle Farcic (31 May 2013). "Burswood Dome set to be demolished". West Australian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  5. ^ Kaitlyn Offer (31 May 2013). "Burswood Dome to be demolished after 26 years of rock, pop, sport". News Ltd. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Roof comes down at Burswood Dome as giant fans fall silent". PerthNow. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.

External links

Perth Wildcats
National Basketball League arenas
Categories