Every day we share a single photo from our Flickr Pool shot by one of our faithful and talented readers (that’s you!).
When BC Place opened on June 19th 1983, it was the largest air-supported stadium on Earth and defended that title for 27 years - until it was deflated last May to make way for renovations and a new retractable roof to be completed later this year. The stadium has seen a lot since 1983; including a papal visit in 1984, the opening and closing ceremonies of Expo '86, 7 Grey Cup games, an NFL football exhibition game, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games. Queen Elizabeth II has been there, as has Prince Charles and Princess Diana (who may have ridden the skytrain there). When it reopens in time for to host the Grey Cup game for an 8th time this fall, it will again be home to the BC Lions of the CFL as well as the brand-new Vancouver Whitecaps FC of the MLS, and will be the largest retractable-roofed stadium in the world.
So ingrained into the skyline of Vancouver that when a tear caused the roof to deflate in January of 2007, everyone had to go outside to take a look. Now that the old roof is gone forever, there is a reason to take a look every day, and that is exactly what notthatcool has done with bc place.
A portion of the old teflon roof is being used as a liner for a full-sized outdoor rink near Shuswap; another portion was auctioned off and bought by a man in Minnesota, where a similar stadium is still in use. Should you like a piece of the old roof for yourself, or would like to support the BC Sports Hall of Fame, or any combination thereof, you can purchase a limited-edition piece of history for yourself here.
