Mobile Civic Center dome collapses from the weight of snow

EDITOR’S NOTE (1/22/2025 10:35 a.m.): MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) —  Mobile residents came out Wednesday to take pictures of the Civic Center’s damage, and many were surprised to see that the snow could cause so much destruction.

The Civic Center’s collapse caused downtown Mobile resident Neil Cater to wonder where that sound was coming from.

“Like a tree limb,” Carter said.

Confused after hearing a loud noise, Cater grabbed his bike to see what caused the commotion.

“It kind of startled me, but when I heard it was this, I rushed down here,” he explained.

For other residents like David Copeland, he’s glad no one was inside when the roof caved in.

“I’m glad nobody decided to seek shelter in there overnight and have that be the result,” Copeland said. “That could have been that could have been bad.”

The civic center was already under demolition since the city plans to build a new Civic Center arena.

A city of Mobile spokesperson tells us that the roof fell in a manner consistent with their plans for the demolition.

“I guess it’s kind of neat that it went out on its own terms,” Cater said. “While everybody else is dancing around having fun, people even snowboarding down the street. There was this thing just slipped quietly.”

“Hey, it worked,” Copeland said. “It’s now collapsed. It should be easier to, to take down.”

We asked the city of Mobile if this would save them some money on demolition, and we are waiting to get an answer back.

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) – What was left of the Mobile Civic Center collapsed Wednesday morning due to the weight of the snow that fell Tuesday, officials said.

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According to city officials, the dome collapsed just after 11 a.m. and no injuries were reported.

Officials said the dome fell “just the way it was intended to collapse,” meaning none of the mosaic tiles inside the center were damaged.

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Demolition on the civic center began in September of 2024 after a plans were announced for a new civic center earlier in the year.

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