# Did the Pontiac Silverdome really sell for only $500,000? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780 "2009-11-24T15:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/21 "2009-11-26T01:57:23Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > The city owned the property. It cost the city money to have it sitting there without a real owner. The city would have happily given the property away for free to some sucker willing to pay taxes on it. Pontiac has been spending $1.5 million a year on upkeep of the Silverdome. [http://www.freep.com/article/20091123/NEWS03/91123057/?imw=Y](http://www.freep.com/article/20091123/NEWS03/91123057/?imw=Y) ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/22 "2009-11-26T02:47:11Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > And if so, how could it go for so little? > They had a bit about this on the Daily Show last week. I know that property values in Detroit are shitty…but that shitty? That’s about what it would cost you for a house (and not necessarily mansion, but a nice three or four bedroom 3,000 square foot domicile) in a lot of places. > You’d figure they could get more selling the thing for scrap. Yeah, but dont forget, you also get the 125 acres that comes with it, and that is a lot of lawn to mow. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/23 "2009-11-26T02:50:11Z")
> [@St.Urho](#): > > Pontiac has been spending $1.5 million a year on upkeep of the Silverdome. I think almost all that upkeep is to keep the blowers and air conditioning going. If I bought it, I would turn it off so the upkeep would be almost nothing. I would also get Pontiac to not property tax me for 10 or 20 years. 125 acres for only 500,000 and in that location is really a pretty good deal. (Hmmm, now that I see what old sports stadiums go for, and since Fenway Park in Boston is a lot smaller, I wonder if I could buy Fenway Park for about $100,000? How would I go about making a $100,000 offer for Fenway Park?) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/24 "2009-11-26T12:20:38Z")
> [@badlyburnttoast](#): > > As far as being surprised goes, even the guy who put in the winning bid was surprised. I wonder what he’s going to do with it? If you think _he_ was surprised, just wait till you see his wife on Christmas morning. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/25 "2009-11-26T14:23:17Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > If you think _he_ was surprised, just wait till you see his wife on Christmas morning. 😉 Dear? I got us box seats… ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/26 "2009-11-26T14:35:35Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > (Hmmm, now that I see what old sports stadiums go for, and since Fenway Park in Boston is a lot smaller, I wonder if I could buy Fenway Park for about $100,000? How would I go about making a $100,000 offer for Fenway Park?) I sure wish that logic worked for Fenway. At 100,000 you’d be buying the cheapest and largest house in Boston ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/27 "2009-11-27T00:14:36Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > There’s been a number of stadiums built in the 2nd half of the 20th century which never reached their 40th birthday-Veteran’s in Philly, Riverfront (Cincy) and Three Rivers (Pittsburgh). Heck the Met in Minnesota didn’t even make 25 years, which is about how long its replacement the Metrodome will have existed as a venue for its primary teams. But those were still perfectly good stadiums and could have lasted another 50 years. The problem was that they didn’t have the corporate skyboxes that rake in big chunks of coin for the owners. In other words, I can’t believe that a structure built as late as 1975 would be falling apart at the seams. Look at Wrigley and Fenway; both built with a century old technology and still going strong. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/28 "2009-11-27T00:59:47Z")
It makes me wonder about the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Gophers and Twins have their new stadiums built and the Vikings are looking to bail next. What the hell are they going to do with an empty Metrodome? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/29 "2009-11-27T01:05:44Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > In other words, I can’t believe that a structure built as late as 1975 would be falling apart at the seams. You must not have seen the Kingdome in its last days. Chunks of its ceiling kept falling off. It had other problems, but those were the most visible. > [@](#): > > Look at Wrigley and Fenway; both built with a century old technology and still going strong. How much does it cost to maintain those stadiums? What would happen to them if their teams up and left, as happened with the Silverdome? From what I read, the Silverdome was bought by a Canadian company that’s going to put a soccer team there. I don’t have a good feeling about this… ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/30 "2009-11-27T01:09:03Z")
Seattle’s Kingdome was imploded before it was entirely paid for. Detroit, IMO, made out well. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/31 "2009-11-27T13:24:14Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > In other words, I can’t believe that a structure built as late as 1975 would be falling apart at the seams. Look at Wrigley and Fenway; both built with a century old technology and still going strong. That’s the problem - a century ago, buildings were made properly, with fairly tried-and-tested methods and a decent budget. Then in the 1960s and 1970s, architects discovered lots of fancy new ways of building that seemed really nifty in the models, and looked great when the shiny new building was completed, but rapidly turned out to be Not Very Good, especially when combined with lowest-bidder construction. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/32 "2009-11-28T05:05:03Z")
The next thread after this was “Zero Point Field”…:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780/33 "2009-11-28T08:41:59Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > In other words, I can’t believe that a structure built as late as 1975 would be falling apart at the seams. The big problem with the Silverdome had to be the Pistons leaving for the Palace, and the Lions leaving for Ford Field. Going from two teams, to one, then finally none, you can’t keep a place like that open with no teams, can you? I always kinda hoped the WWE would buy it, just for the history involved with them. World indoor attendence record. I think it since has been beaten, but still, it’s right up there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-pontiac-silverdome-really-sell-for-only-500-000/518780.md?page=1)