Nearly two decades ago, a chapter of Pittsburgh sports history ended in a cloud of dust as Three Rivers Stadium imploded on what was then just called the North Side.
Tuesday marks the 19-year anniversary of the day onlookers from across Western Pennsylvania gathered to watch the stadium that once housed both the Steelers and the Pirates fall to the ground.
It took $5.1 million and 2,700 sticks of dynamite to complete the blast after months of stripping away the structure piece by piece.
Three Rivers Stadium first opened in July of 1970 and was home to teams that won four Super Bowls and two World Series championships. But on Feb. 11, 2001, those iconic memories went down with the rubble in the matter of 19 seconds as specialty contractor Controlled Demolition Inc. of Phoenix, Md. executed the implosion.
The stadium was replaced by Heinz Field, which was already under construction just 45 feet away, and PNC Park just blocks away.
Check out photos of implosion day captured by the Post-Gazette news staff below:
Alexis Johnson: ajohnson@post-gazette.com and Twitter @alexisjreports
First Published: February 11, 2020, 1:20 p.m.
