Ames Construction Flashback: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Forty-five years ago, in December 1979, Ames Construction started excavation for the Metrodome stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Some 80 companies participated in construction of the Metrodome, and most of the labor was performed by Minnesota construction workers. The high-visibility project exposed Ames Construction to a network of general contractors and engineers for future projects.
“The field level of the stadium was about 40 feet below street grade, right down to the bedrock, and we used air hammers to remove the rock for the baseball dugouts,” recalled Jay Loffler. “We had a big air compressor to run the air hammer, and it was so cold that sometimes I would climb into the air compressor and pull the doors shut just to get warm.”
Thirty-four years later, Ames crews performed the demolition of the Metrodome, followed by excavation and site work to help build U.S. Bank Stadium.
