Omni Coliseum

The arena was considered an architectural marvel that combined innovative roof, seating, and structural designs. The logo is based on the unique seating arrangement. The exterior cladding was composed of Cor-Ten weathering steel, which is covered in rust; the idea was that the steel would continue to rust to the point where the rusted exterior would form a protective seal, 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 tvsdesign with structural engineering work by the firm of Prybylowski and Gravino, the roof was technically described as an ortho-quad truss system.

Bird's-eye view of the Omni Coliseum

The Omni did not last nearly as long as many other arenas built during the same time period, in part because a number of its innovations did not work as intended. The most serious problem was the weathered steel exterior, which could not withstand Atlanta's humid climate. Rather than provide a protective seal, it never stopped rusting. Indeed, it corroded much faster than was anticipated, eventually resulted in gaping holes forming in the walls that fans could climb through. Chain link fences were installed to keep people from crawling through the wall to see events. Partly due to this, the structure had begun to look dated by the early 1990s (although the arena was only 20 years old).

Built on a former railroad yard, it settled more than its designers expected after construction. There were unanticipated stresses in the space frame roof, which often leaked water.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a growing number of NBA and NHL teams began to construct arenas with better amenities for their high-end customers to increase revenue. These amenities included luxury boxes, club seating, and massive club concourses. Some of these new arenas had as many as 200 luxury boxes. By comparison, the Omni had only 16 luxury boxes and no club level. It also became a disadvantage during Atlanta's explosive population growth. Until the now-defunct Georgia Dome was finished in 1992, the Omni was Atlanta's largest indoor facility in terms of seating capacity, meaning other smaller venues in the region often hosted other sporting and musical events that would usually be hosted in an arena setting.

Although the Omni hosted many events, it lost more than its share due to the smaller capacity and lack of amenities compared to newer buildings in other cities. By the start of the 1990s, an effort began to build a replacement. A new arena would have likely been needed in any event due to the Omni's structural problems. This also stemmed from Ted Turner's desire to own an NHL franchise; the Flames had been sold to Canadian businessmen and relocated to Calgary, Alberta a decade earlier. The NHL determined the Omni was not suitable even as a temporary facility, and would only grant Atlanta an expansion team if Turner guaranteed a brand-new arena would be in place by the time the new team took the ice. On July 26, 1997, the Omni was demolished by implosion despite the arena's close proximity to CNN Center, the Georgia World Congress Center, and the Omni MARTA station. Philips Arena, now State Farm Arena, which was constructed on the site, opened on September 18, 1999. The demolition of the Omni forced the Hawks to split the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons between Alexander Memorial Coliseum at Georgia Tech, their first home in Atlanta, and the Georgia Dome.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Omni Coliseum.

• 1996 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. p. 543.
• 1996 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 3. p. 465.