According to Superdome.com, construction of the Superdome began in 1966. In its opening year, it hosted an NFL game, the Sugar Bowl, the Bayou Classic and became home to the New Orleans Jazz, the city's NBA team. Over the years, the dome has played host to events like the Superbowl, major boxing events, NCAA Final Four games, a Rollings Stones concert, the Essence Music Festival and a visit by Pope John Paul II.
In 2005, the Superdome served as an impromptu shelter for 30,000 people during Hurricane Katrina and suffered serious damage to its roof from high winds, as well as heavy interior damage. It took 13 months to repair it in time to reopen on September 25, 2006 for a football game between the Saints and Falcons. New Orleanians regarded this as a bright moment as they struggled to recover post-Katrina.
In August 2010, not quite a year after the Saints won the Super Bowl, Champions Square opened to enthusiastic Saints fans as part of a Post-Katrina Restoration Plan for the dome. The square, an entertainment area adjacent to the Superdome immediately to the east, can hold over 8,000 people and has a large events stage, according to Superdome.com.
