Watch as Metrodome Gets Demolished by Explosives

Minnesota is one step closer to making the Metrodome a distant memory.

After opening in 1982, the enclosed sports complex played host to the Minnesota Twins before baseball moved to Target Field for the start of the 2010 campaign, and the Minnesota Vikings called it home through this past season.

Time magazine voted the Metrodome as the No. 1 worst stadium in the United States in 2012. You may recall when the building's roof caved under the weight of snow a few winters ago:

Now it is on its way out, thanks to explosives.

The City of Minneapolis' iconic venue was leveled early Sunday morning. The Star Tribune's Chris Haven shared the details of the demolition:

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The charges, in a short, rapid succession of cannon-like booms, went off about 7:30 a.m. In a matter of seconds, the roof ring fell and the corners of the 32-year-old stadium collapsed. The roof ring is a key part of the roof structure.

[...]

Demolition workers used 84 charges of dynamite set in 24 columns of the upper concourse, according to a statement from the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority (MSFA).

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Video of the demolition is captivating:

Check out another angle:

Down goes the Metrodome!

The Vikings will play at least the next two seasons at the 50,805-seat TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota, after a $6.6 million upgrade. The construction is scheduled to be completed by July. 

Construction will begin on the new 65,400-seat Vikings Stadium on the site of the old Metrodome. The new stadium will cost $1 billion and is scheduled to open in 2016. 

[YouTube, YouTube, YouTube; h/t USA Today's FTW]