VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For many people, the vacant lot between 18th and 20th Streets at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront doesn’t stand out or mean much.
After all, it’s been empty for more than a quarter century. But for those in the know, it’s clear the potential for something great is already in the DNA of the 10-acre lot.
It used to be the location of a distinctly designed convention center that saw many famous musical acts over its history. The Alan B. Shepard Convention Center was built in 1958 as a geodesic dome auditorium. The name was later shortened to the Virginia Beach Civic Center but became best known by its unofficial name: The Dome.
28 years ago this week, The Dome was demolished.
The final concert before demolition was Three Dog Night in 1993.
But a three-decade span before that final show would see the likes of Louis Armstrong, the Four Seasons, and even the Rolling Stones.
While it was considered an engineering marvel and the first building of its kind in the country when built in 1958, by the 1980s, the city was looking for ways to improve and revitalize the aging golf-ball-like structure.
Plans to convert it into a bus and transportation center fell apart in 1986 and eventually, it was decided the best thing to do was to raze the structure and rebuild it from scratch.
The Dome was demolished on September 9, 1994. In its place was dirt and gravel, and in the more than 25 years since, not much else has changed.
That was until a local superstar got involved.
Plans are set to build a multi-use, residential, and entertainment complex at the property. It would include a Wavegarden Surf Park, a state-of-the-art live entertainment venue that 3,500 people can fill, stores, restaurants, and hundreds of residential units.
Initially, this idea was the brainchild of Pharrell Williams, who wanted to develop a surf park near the Oceanfront. He partnered with Venture Realty to turn it into a reality.
At the end of August, Williams tweeted a picture of himself meeting with leaders from the city, and since then, we’ve learned a groundbreaking could come as early as this fall.
Virginia Beach City Council approved the Dome Site development agreement in 2019. The project is expected to cost more than $300 million.