OT: Flashback: Roof of the Hartford Civic Center Collapsed, January 19, 1978

[Mazhude]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?

 

[LIUCHusky]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?View attachment 116120

Yes, I was there. The attendance that night was in the neighborhood of 5500.

 

[superjohn]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?View attachment 116120

It wasn't close to being sold out. Less than 5,000 fans watched UConn beat UMass.

 

[Waquoit]

View attachment 116120

I always thought it looked like a huge fist punched the roof.

 

[husky8273]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?View attachment 116120

I was there

 

[BuffaloHusky]

Ironically, it made me a fan because as a kid I got to go see them play in the New Haven Coliseum.

 

[Punkbo]

Very sad day. We were season ticket holders for our beloved New England Whalers. We became members of the 91 Club and traveled to Springfield for the games while the Civic Center was being rebuilt. The Whalers were especially hospitable to members of the 91 Club. I have great memories of social events with all of the Whalers. Gordie Howe and Nick Fotiu remain idols as they were extremely generous with their time. Long live the Whalers!

 

[ucjoet]

I was at that game. My high school teammate Mark Noon was playing for the Hartford Hawks in the first game of a doubleheader. They played Amherst. UConn played UMass in the second game. I could be wrong but I don’t believe it was a sellout. May guess / recollection is the crowd was 7-8,000.

Woke up in the morning and my dad tells me the roof collapsed at the Civic Center. Unreal

 

[Deepster]

The number of people in CT claiming to have been there that night is approximately 250,000.

 

[Kathy]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?View attachment 116120

My late husband was there.

 

[Johnny Mac]

This takes me back. I recall listening to that story on WDRC AM (I’m pretty sure it was Brad Davis on the morning show.) I had just received a transistor radio for Christmas that I could mount on my bike handlebars. I spent the morning after the collapse delivering the Courant on my route, listening to the live broadcast as the news broke. I was so fascinated by how a structure like that (space frame design) could fail that it actually inspired me to become an engineer.

 

[JwittersPAC]

Most shocking part of the story is that Civic Center has still not been demolished and a new arena being built in its place.

 

[boog204]

The number of people in CT claiming to have been there that night is approximately 250,000.

I was not born yet. I was there.

 

[UConn77]

I had come up to Connecticut to visit and was supposed to go to the game with some of my old college friends. Our plans fell through and we never made it there that night.

 

[Stinger92860]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?View attachment 116120

I was NOT there, but I did benefit from games moved to New Haven.

 

[king conn]

The number of people in CT claiming to have been there that night is approximately 250,000.

And they all went to Pepe's beforehand, and said the pizza was either great or overrated.

 

[mauconnfan]

The number of people in CT claiming to have been there that night is approximately 250,000.

Well I was for sure and we had a crew of about a dozen Meriden guys just sitting together in the mid 200s just because it was very empty up higher and we wanted to hang out, drink together while watching the game. My seats were always in the 328 corner back but we all just found an open area. Crazy to wake up and hear the news!

 

[Chin Diesel]

And they all went to Pepe's beforehand, and said the pizza was either great or overrated.

I remember that night like it was yesterday. WWF event. Superstar Billy Graham and Bruno Sammartino headlined the card. What a day!!!

 

[dogpause]

Most shocking part of the story is that Civic Center has still not been demolished and a new arena being built in its place.

Architectural masterpieces, such as the HCC and Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris, get restored.

 

[microfich]

I was there.
My mom woke me up the next morning hugging me deeply.

 

[uconn1999]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?View attachment 116120

48 years?

 

[Mazhude]

48 years?

Ha, I still think we're in 2025!

 

[Northbound]

47 years ago today, the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and ice on January 18, 1978 just hours after a sold-out UConn basketball game. Miraculously, no one was inside and no lives were lost. The disaster became a turning point in structural engineering and led to major changes in building design and safety standards nationwide. Anyone go to that game?View attachment 116120

I was and couldn’t believe the pics on TV the next morning.

My family was good friends with the Palidino’s and Gary was the coach at UHart at that time. UHart was the warm up game that night.

 

[Ricker]

I was there. Attendance was sparce so you could sit where you wanted to. The accepted theory is that the snow and ice brought down the roof. I think the scoreboard over the center court was the size of a 2 family house and completely stressing the center of that structure in the first place. Then add the snow weight and voila. Every game I went to I feared that thing would drop on the players.

 

[Deepster]

So it was 47 years ago. If you were say 38 or older at the time, you probably aren’t on this board. If you are currently younger than 42 you weren’t there. And we already have like 25 people who were there in this thread. LOL

 

[Ricker]

I'm betting the people on this board that go back to attending games in the 70's and have remained loyal fans for decades, are exactly the people who showed up in the snow that day. And went to our famous NIT St John's loss at MSG, and went to Big East Tournaments before MSG, and went to games at the field house, and went to opening day at Gampel Pavilion, and went to our NIT win at MSG, and have attended final fours, .... The 1978 fans predated most uconn tv coverage unless it was 'the game of the week' and lived by the radio broadcasts. It would shock me if we didn't have 25 boneyarders that were there for the UMass game, but I must confess I didn't recall it as part of a double header with Hartford and Amherst. Wasn't Mark Noon also St Pauls in Bristol or am I misremembering that.

 

[Waquoit]

I remember that night like it was yesterday. WWF event. Superstar Billy Graham and Bruno Sammartino headlined the card. What a day!!!

That reminds me that when the HCC reopened one of the first events was the WWWE in a Hartford arena for the first time. I was always puzzled that the headline match was Bruno v Stan "The Lariat" Hansen. Bob Backlund, the then current champ, lived in Glastonbury and wasn't even on the card. I figured out later it was because Bruno probably never wrestled in Hartford, Hartford folks had to go Springfield or New Haven to see him. Anyway, the build-up to the match gave us one of the best interview questions of all time, from Vince, no less. "Bruno, what are you going to do if he breaks your neck again?"

 

[microfich]

I'm betting the people on this board that go back to attending games in the 70's and have remained loyal fans for decades, are exactly the people who showed up in the snow that day. And went to our famous NIT St John's loss at MSG, and went to Big East Tournaments before MSG, and went to games at the field house, and went to opening day at Gampel Pavilion, and went to our NIT win at MSG, and have attended final fours, .... The 1978 fans predated most uconn tv coverage unless it was 'the game of the week' and lived by the radio broadcasts. It would shock me if we didn't have 25 boneyarders that were there for the UMass game, but I must confess I didn't recall it as part of a double header with Hartford and Amherst. Wasn't Mark Noon also St Pauls in Bristol or am I misremembering that.

You win!

 

[Lafayette]

I remember hearing about this and reading it in my local paper as a kid. Pre-dated my time in CT by a few years, but it reached most major newspapers ironically in California where there was no snow.

 

[ucjoet]

I'm betting the people on this board that go back to attending games in the 70's and have remained loyal fans for decades, are exactly the people who showed up in the snow that day. And went to our famous NIT St John's loss at MSG, and went to Big East Tournaments before MSG, and went to games at the field house, and went to opening day at Gampel Pavilion, and went to our NIT win at MSG, and have attended final fours, .... The 1978 fans predated most uconn tv coverage unless it was 'the game of the week' and lived by the radio broadcasts. It would shock me if we didn't have 25 boneyarders that were there for the UMass game, but I must confess I didn't recall it as part of a double header with Hartford and Amherst. Wasn't Mark Noon also St Pauls in Bristol or am I misremembering

I was 18 years old when I attended the game ( now 66). I was a freshman and sophomore on the St Paul team when Mark Noon led us to back to back state Championships. We were also friends of the Palladino family. My Dad and Gary’s brother (Al) were partners in a Masonary business for about 10 years.

I got tickets with a neighborhood friend. His brother was the scorekeeper at UConn games. We needed to wait for him before leaving the Civic Center, so we were some of the last people to leave.